Premiere
by Hawk
Summary: The premiere episode of Lois&Clark, rewritten in Hawk-style.


Premiere, a Lois&Clark Fanfic by Hawk ( hawk@telia.com ) Title: Lois&Clark - Premiere   
Author: Niklas "Hawk" Jonsson 

Summary:   
Clark Kent arrives in Metropolis, becomes a reporter at the Daily Planet and   
Hawk's own version of the first episode from the show takes place. Clark is   
different, the world is different and the situation between our two reporters   
are certainly different from the show. 

Disclaimer:   
The usual mumbo-jumbo, you know the drill. The characters are not mine and I got large   
chunks of the story from the show even though I've added a few of my own touches. Hey,   
that's why it's called fanfiction! Read and enjoy, feedback accepted at hawk@telia.com   
Please remember that I am a illiterate Swede so there's probably hordes of grammatical and   
other mistakes all over the place. I'm no expert in English names for chemical compounds   
either, but I hope you get the general idea. 

"....." = Speech ( "Lois, have you seen my Mars bar?" )   
*.....* = Screams/Emphasis. ( "Superman! *Superman*! Help! Help!" )   
/...../ = Thoughts ( /Where could she be? Lois said she'd be here at eight./ )   
*/.../* = Telepathy ( */Lois, don't move or make a sound, that will trigger the bomb./* )   
~.....~ = Speech translated from a foreign/alien language. ( ~This planet is toast Kal-El!~ )   
+.....+ = Sounds/Radio/Telephone/Computers ( +booom+, +thud+, +clang+, +click+ )   


He looked out of the window, the bus was getting closer to Metropolis, after travelling across   
most of the world perhaps he could find a place to call his own here. He relaxed and leaned back,   
the young girl next to him was sound asleep at last. She had spent hours talking to him, he had   
responded with a occasional grunt or a few neutrally spoken words. He looked at her more closely,   
she really was quite beautiful. Had he not felt such a tingle of anticipation from finally coming   
to Metropolis he might have responded in another way, even made a few moves himself. But he was   
not in the mood, not even willing to make a effort dispite her being a very pretty girl. He thought   
back on the last couple of years, he could not really believe that he had spent so much time away   
from home. He had visited his parents often of course but it was years since he had stayed at home   
for more then a week or two when it was time for harvest. He had seen so much, met so many   
interesting people, been at so many really great places but had still not found anywhere that felt   
right for him. He looked down at the girl again, he had seen many women as well but not found *THE   
ONE* yet. He remembered several fondly and he had a lot of happy memories of past relations.   
Rachel, Lana and others from his home in Smallville, back in Kansas. Jiribah, the princess he met   
in England who taught him ballroom dancing. Jeanette from Paris, who helped him improve his French   
to a level normally reserved for native Frenchmen. Mariko in Tokyo, Sally in New York, Gretchen in   
Berlin, Natasha in Moscow and even more. Sometimes it seemed as if he found at least a girl in   
every place he visited. Animals, children and girls always seemed to sense something different in   
him, something that made him irresistible. Children would often come to him and start talking or   
cuddle up against him even though they had never seen him before. He always seemed to be able to   
know what animals were trying to tell him and they always seemed to enjoy his presence. Girls and   
women as well for that matter always seemed to treat him differently from other men, even other   
attractive men. They seemed to be able to trust him completely at first sight, some seemed to be   
able to shrug it off and some of them got angry at him for some reason. He had several times been   
yelled at for doing nothing more then to enter say a elevator or sitting next to someone on a bus.   
They would first look closely at him, start smiling and then blink a couple of times and then stare   
at him. Some simply looked away but the worst kind was the ones that started screaming and throwing   
things at him. The girl next to him suddenly moved in her sleep and rolled over against him. Her   
head against his chest felt good but he was not in the mood for this at the moment, perhaps later.   
He concentrated on her and discovered that she was awake, she was only pretending to sleep. He   
shook his head and sent her a few messages, she would probably think they were her own thoughts.   
*/What if he's a murderer? Perhaps he's one of those creeps that rapes women? Maybe he's gay?/*   
She suddenly twisted away from him and he could feel her fear, perhaps he had overdone that a bit   
so he sent her into a calm mood. He rarely used these powers because it felt to much like   
intruding on peoples privacy. He could actually read peoples minds like books if he wanted to,   
that felt wrong somehow so he had not done that since he discovered that he could actually do   
that. Another thing he could do was to sense what emotional state and physical condition people   
were in, he didn't even have to actually see people. He could feel them even through walls and   
different altitudes as long as they were no more then a couple of meters away. He could send   
messages to people as well, most people seemed to think that it was their own thoughts, at least   
no one had said anything about it so far. He had used it many times to clear up troublesome   
situations. Like the one time that he had managed to convince a terrorist that he forgot to load   
his gun so he ripped out his clip to replace it with a new one. He had then managed to knock him   
down without anyone getting hurt. Thinks like */There's something wrong here, I better run!/* had   
saved several people from falling objects or gotten them out of the way from speeding cars. He   
managed to get by by doing odd jobs here and there, his only "real" work was the things he wrote.   
He had started writing to his parents about the places he visited around the world and his mother   
had edited his letters a bit and then sent them to the local newspaper and they had started   
publishing them! After reading what the paper called "Kent abroad" he had started writing real   
articles that he sent along with the letters to his parents and the newspaper had continued to   
publish them and even paid him a little for it. He'd even done some freelancing for newspapers   
in the places he visited, he had gotten a couple of job offers, but he hadn't felt like staying   
at any of those places. He had other ways of getting money as well, if he was really short on   
cash he could always fish up a pearl or something like that. Fishing for pearls with his   
incredible powers was easy, for variation he sometimes dug up a diamond or two but those were   
harder to sell. Once he found a *huge* diamond, almost as large as his own fist. He had not   
managed to part with it though, he had thrown it in his old tree house along with a few other   
memorables from his travels. He supposed he could become rich by selling it or if he used his   
powers to make money constantly but that also felt wrong somehow, he only resorted to *that* when   
he really needed the cash like when he bought a laptop computer for himself or when his parents   
barn had almost burned to the ground. He was so different from everyone else, not only because he   
had all these powers that apparently no one else had. He had discovered during his travels that   
most people wanted money, fame, men/women, fancy titles, expensive things and much more. All he   
really wanted out of life was a place to call *his* home, perhaps also meeting *the one* he would   
like to ask to become his wife. He had for sure met a lot of possible ladies but he had never   
really felt that any of them was *the one*. His parents were worried about that sometimes, his   
father was the one that expressed it the most but he knew that even if his mother put up a brave   
face about it she wanted even more then his father that their beloved son would finally find   
someone who would "trap him, tie him up and drag him screaming to the altar" as his mother once   
said. He smiled at the memory and took a deep breath, he made a face and looked out of the window   
again. He had felt the air going from bad to worse and he was really suprised to see that the bus   
had already entered Metropolis. He shook his head in amusement, he had been so deep into his own   
mind that he never even noticed that they had went into the city. He had once been to Metropolis   
as a child when he went to school, he and his classmates had been to a couple of museums and   
exhibits before going back to Smallville. He had really liked the trip and the city even though he   
had exclaimed horrified that "This air sucks!" as soon as they had gotten off the bus. He smiled   
at that memory as well and tried to concentrate on the city. The bus were going to drop them off   
more or less in the center of Metropolis and he had no idea whatsoever about what to do once he   
got off the bus. He jumped off with everyone else from the bus, the girl he had been sitting next   
to smiled at him and he smiled back. It felt good being in Metropolis somehow, he did not know why   
but he felt good just standing there outside the bus. He got his suitcase and talked a bit with   
the girl now that he no longer felt depressed. She was in Metropolis to visit her sister who lived   
just a couple of blocks away. He got her name, Tanya, and a tiny note with the phone number to   
Tanya's sister so he could reach her to the end of this week, perhaps he wanted to go out on a   
date? He smiled and said that he might take her up on that, he waved goodbye and walked down the   
street where he saw a couple of cabs waiting for customers.   
"Hey! I never even got your name!" screamed the girl as he reached for the door on one of the cabs.   
"Clark Kent!" he screamed and waved again before he sat down inside the cab and asked the cabby   
to take him to a good and preferably cheap hotel.   
"Sure thing buddy, nice girl." the cabby commented. Clark smiled at him and winked before leaning   
backwards against the seat, he wasn't really tired but he felt drained somehow. He had been awake   
for more then 29 hours by now but the excitement of once again going to Metropolis had kept him   
awake. He could manage without sleep for longer periods then this and he was sure that he could   
stay awake for 50 more before he would get really tired but he would not do that. Even though he   
wasn't really tired he would try to sleep some as soon as he had called his parents. He could visit   
them, he could be there in a couple of minutes but Metropolis felt so good that he decided to stay   
here and use the phone instead. The cabby dropped him off not too far away from central Metropolis,   
in front of a small hotel that he claimed was both good and cheap. Clark did not have his hopes up   
to high but some of the places he had stayed at in Asia and Africa had been worse then *anything*   
that Metropolis could throw at him. He was pleasantly suprised by the fact that the hotel actually   
seemed to be better then what he had expected for the money he paid for his room. Sure it was   
small but it was well kept and the bed looked marvelous. He had spent the last couple of days in   
New York where he visited Sally Jameson, a girl he had met down in Australia a year or so ago.   
Back then they had a short romance but now they were just good friends so he had slept on her   
couch. She had been down to Australia in order to get over the fact that her boyfriend had left   
her and he had just come down from Japan in order to see how it was like "down under". They had   
met each other while scubadiving and they had spent two weeks together before Sally had to go home   
to New York. She didn't have a boyfriend at the moment so there had been no problems with him   
sleeping on her couch for a while. Clark took out some spare change and picked up the telephone in   
order to call his parents. The phone was picked up almost at once in the other end.   
"Martha Kent." said his mother in the other end.   
"Hi mom, it's me."   
"Jonathan, it's Clark!" his mother screamed in the other end. He smiled and moved the phone away   
from his ear. "How are you Clark? I've not heard from you since Jamaica almost a week ago!" she   
asked nervously.   
"Yeah, I left for New York the day after and spent a couple of days with Sally, you know the girl   
I met down in Australia? Yesterday I decided to leave and now I'm calling from Metropolis. How are   
you and dad?" Clark heard a click and then "Hi son!", his father had picked up the extra telephone.   
"Hi dad, how are things at home?"   
"Well, your mother is trying out her talents as an artist. I don't know what she's into now, she   
goes from one to the other faster then you!" his father said.   
"I'm doing modern art Clark, your father is to dense to understand it. Are you still coming home   
for dinner Clark?" his mother asked.   
"Yeah mum, I would not pass up the chance of your home-cooked meals for anything in the world!"   
Clark said truthfully. His mother was a truly great cook, she could make just about anything. He   
was not that bad a chef himself but rarely got the chance to make any food except when staying at   
some girls place or when taking a temporary work at a restaurant or something like that.   
"What are you going to do in Metropolis son?" his father asked curiously.   
"When are you going to stop travelling around the world?" his mother put in. Clark leaned against   
the wall but decided against it and instead jumped up into the air and floated on his back.   
"I'm looking for a job, a real permanent job! I called professor Carlton and asked him for a favor.   
I remember him saying that he once gave a real scoop to a young reporter named Perry White. Well,   
Perry White is now the editor at the Daily Planet so Carlton arranged a meeting for me. I'm going   
to show him some of my work and see if he agrees to hire me. If he does I'm really going to try   
and live here for a while, perhaps get myself a apartment instead of living in cheap hotels all   
over the planet." Clark explained to his parents.   
"Work? Apartment? In Metropolis? What's so great about Metropolis son?" asked Jonathan.   
"Put a sock in it Jonathan, if our son has finally decided to settle down I for one will not   
tolerate you trying to scare him off!" Clark heard his mother explaining to his father in the   
background. He smiled, when Martha decided to do something, not even his powers were enough to   
prevent her from doing whatever she wanted.   
"I'll call you later and I'll for sure show up for dinner as I promised, bye mom and dad." he   
finished.   
"Bye son."   
"Bye Clark." Clark hung up and got some change back from the machine. 

The next day Clark went out to spend some time in the streets of Metropolis, the meeting with   
Perry White was not until the next day. He picked up a copy of the Daily Planet and took a seat on   
a bench in a small park where he sat reading *the* paper and munching on a danish he had picked up   
from a small bakery he had walked by on his way to the park. He browsed through the paper and then   
read the front page and the editorial again. Mr. White was a great writer but the thing that really   
got Clarks attention was a story by Lois Lane. He often bought the international Daily Planet so   
this was not the first time he had come across articles by Lois Lane. He liked her work, this time   
it was about a series of mysterious car thefts all over Metropolis. Clark nodded, he presumed that   
now when Lois Lane was on the case it was only a matter of time before this mystery was solved.   
She seemed to have a strange talent of doing what no one else managed to do. He had read about her   
knocking down robbers, working undercover with terrorists, busting weaponsmugglers and other   
dangerous assignments. A gang of thieves with a liking for fancy cars was no big deal compared to   
her story about the "Red death and jolly evening" society, a close-nit band of terrorists that had   
almost managed to kill the mayor of Metropolis a couple of years ago before Lois revealed their   
plans. He shook his head and left the paper on the bench in case someone else wanted to read it   
later. Clark jumped onto a bus for central Metropolis, he wanted to check out the big city. He   
took an available seat but only had it for two stops because then he turned it over to a old lady   
who got on the bus only to find all the seats taken. She declined at first but Clark rose and   
helped her onto the seat and then stood up for the rest of the way. Some people looked strangely   
at him but he ignored them, big city folks might not be the most polite people on earth but he was   
raised in Smallville, a place where everyone knew everyone and that made him what he now was. He   
saw a slimy fellow also standing after a couple of more stops reaching for another mans pockets   
and Clark rolled his eyes. He waited until the thief had his hands down the other mans coat before   
Clark reached out and tickled the thief who jumped and got his hands stuck in his victims pocket.   
The furious would-be-victim spun around and delivered a straight right in the face of the creep.   
The thief fell backwards and Clark reached out to keep him from falling and hurting himself   
seriously.   
"If you ever try something like that again I'll tear you apart you no-good slimebucket!" the angry   
victim screamed to the man in Clarks hands. Clark smiled and at the next stop he jumped off the   
bus leaving the semi-conscious thief sitting on the floor of the bus. Clark took in the surroundings   
and smiled again, he had jumped of the bus just over the street from the Daily Planet. He looked at   
the huge globe, the logo of the Daily Planet and the large building itself. But he had nothing to   
do there today, that was for tomorrow. He checked out the area around the building and bought   
himself a hot dog with everything on it from a stand. /Not bad, not bad at all!/ he thought to   
himself while eating and walking. Clark picked up a guidebook to Metropolis that he had picked up   
in New York and decided to check out the Zoo, looking at animals was always a good way to spend a   
couple of hours. He hailed a cab and was just about to jump in when a short, bearded man in filthy   
clothes jumped into the cab and said "Thanks!" with the voice of a girl. "Go!" she/he said only   
now with a mans voice and slammed the door shut behind her/him. Clark leaned down and looked into   
the window, it certainly looked as a bearded man only there were some odd things about him. Clark   
adjusted his vision a bit in order to get a better look but the cab drove off and left him   
standing there looking confused. He shrugged and hailed another cab that he managed to get into   
without any strange men/women stealing it from him. He spent most of the day looking at animals   
and they looking at him, Clark could feel their curiosity. Animals always noticed him, always   
seemed to know that he did not quite fit in among the other two-legs. He called Tanya and went to   
a date with her in the evening, they went to see some old movie that she had to study for some   
class in college. He had seen it before but sat through it all and explained it to her. She wasn't   
stupid, she was actually very bright but Clark gave her a few hints about what to write about it.   
They had a quick drink at a pub and they said goodbye after that. Clark kissed her goodnight but   
did not invite her into his hotel room, he was too exited about the coming day to invite her up to   
his room and so he walked her home to her sister instead. 

Lois Lane paid for her chocolate and jumped into the elevator that just came down, two men dressed   
in fancy clothes walked out. She snorted, accountants or perhaps members of the board. She did not   
recognize them so they were not reporters anyway, she pressed the button for the newsroom and   
waited for the doors to close. She saw them starting to close and started to smile, if she got the   
elevator to herself she might be able to get rid of that pebble that somehow had managed to find   
it's way into her right shoe. When there only were a inch or two left however a hand found it's way   
between the closing doors and they were pulled open. She gulped down a quick breath and prepared   
to stare murderously at whoever it was. A man stepped inside and she gulped down another quick   
breath, he nodded at her and stared at the chart. He apparently found what he was looking for and   
reached to press a button but let his hand drop to the side. Apparently he was going to the   
newsroom as well, he glanced to her side and she quickly looked away. /God, is he a *hunk* or   
what?/ she thought to herself. She hoped that she had not blushed, it did not feel like it anyway   
but gosh was she close. She glanced at him again, he stared at the numbers over the door and did   
not notice her looks at him. His trenchcoat was a little worn and she retorted when she saw what   
must have been a hole from a bullet on the left side of it. The man was gorgeous with that black   
hair and strange face, he looked like an American but he had some other traits as well, both Asian   
and European. He glanced in her direction again and she once again pulled her eyes away from him.   
He shrugged and looked at the numbers again, she felt a drop of perspiration crawling down on the   
side of her face and hoped that the elevator would stop and more people jump in so she wouldn't   
have to face him alone. She briefly considered pressing another button and jump off at another   
floor but he stood next to the buttons and getting closer to him was totally out of the question.   
She made a face, that... that *man* was driving her mad. /What right does he have to look *so*   
good?/ she screamed at herself. She got annoyed at herself, she was a reporter, *the best*   
reporter at the Daily Planet. She had faced armed men and women more times then she could count!   
/106 times.../ said a little voice in her head and she growled inwards at it. The elevator finally   
stopped and she sighed with relief and rushed into the newsroom to get away from that man. 

Clark gulped down several mouthfuls of air, that woman had been *the* most beautiful he had ever   
seen! He corrected himself mentally, he had seen and even had relationships with women that were   
more beautiful but there was something special about this one. He briefly wondered if he had   
blushed in the elevator but didn't think so. He relaxed and tried to keep his mind of her, he knew   
that he *had* to find out just who *she* was. She apparently worked here though, if this meeting   
went all right he would make a point in finding out just who *she* was. Even if it didn't go   
all right he would sure try to find it out anyway. Clark looked around in the huge newsroom,   
people were running around all over the place and more people were sitting at their desks writing.   
He saw *her* again, she emptied a bagfull of something in a desk drawer and then sat down in front   
of a computer. /*She* works here!/ Clark smiled but tried to keep her out of his mind, he needed to   
concentrate on the meeting ahead. A young man came out of another elevator with his hands full of   
papers in a dangerously swaying pile.   
"Ehh, excuse me?" he said to the young man. "I wonder if you could show me were to find mister   
Perry White?" Clark asked. The young man nodded and balanced the pile of paper in his left arm and   
pointed to a office with his right.   
"His office is right over there, if he's not there, just follow the screams." the young man said   
and walked down among the desks with his load of papers. Clark walked over to the office and   
knocked on the door.   
"Just a minute, I'm on the phone!" he heard a voice through the glass door. He saw a man in his   
50's or around that sitting behind a desk clustered with papers and with a phone to his head. He   
could hear occasional words from within the office even without his enhanced hearing. It seemed   
that he could have gotten this appointment on a better day then today, Clark guessed that Mr. White   
was arguing with someone on the phone about something. He turned around and looked over the   
newsroom again from this angle, he smiled and drank deeply of the general mood and sense of   
excitement. "All right, come on in but this better be good!" Clark heard from within the office. He   
made a face to the world in general and took a deep breath before entering the office. "What bad   
news do you have then? I'm warning you right now, if you are from the IRS you might as well start   
running because I'm mad enough to risk the Jailhouse Rock at the moment!" said the man firmly and   
rubbed his forehead. "My doctor says my bloodpressure is too high and that's not strange   
considering what I have to deal with, one more setback and I'll be ready to be buried in   
Graceland!" he finished and leaned back.   
"Pava leaves." Clark said without thinking.   
"Pava Leaves? Where the *heck* are you from to get a name like that?" Perry White asked.   
"No, no, no. The Ulongu tribe eats Pava Leaves to relax, it puts them in a meditative state of   
mind and it's supposed to be very healthy. I know it made me feel good anyway. I'm Clark Kent, I   
believe professor Carlton called about me?" Clark asked.   
"Pave Leaves? Meditative? Oh, Clark Kent, yes now I remember. Boy, professor Carlton, I've not   
heard from him in years!" he said and looked into space for a moment before returning. "He said   
you were a *very* good writer, otherwise I'd told him to take a hike. And you'd better be one   
because I just now got a phonecall from one of my top reporters who has ended up in hospital for   
eight weeks! So pull out something you have written or I'll kick you out my very own self! This is   
*the* Daily Planet, we deal with war, crime, international emergencies, murder..." Perry said but   
trailed off when Clark sensed that someone enter the door behind him.   
"Chief, I fixed the broken horn on your golf cart!" someone said and Clark smiled behind the cover   
of his left hand.   
"Not *now* Jimmy." Perry said.   
"But..." came the answer but it was cut off at once.   
"I said *not* now Jimmy!" Perry said and became red in the face with anger. Clark heard the door   
closing behind him and he removed his hand from his face and adopted a calm, neutral face. "Yes,   
now where was I... Oh yes, Kent I..." he started but got cut off again as someone else entered.   
"Chief, I think there's a story here. The papers I got from that man this morning reveals that the   
space shuttle Messenger was sabotaged and that he knew about it! I really think there's a story   
here chief." a wonderful female voice said excitedly. Clark rose from the chair and faced *the*   
woman from the elevator.   
"Lois! Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?" Perry said from behind and sighed.   
"Lois Lane - Clark Kent." he said simply and Clark put his hand forward in greeting. She simply   
ignored him and was fully concentrating on Perry.   
"Nice to meet you... But chief, that man was one of the men who built the Messenger, Samuel Platt   
and..." her attention was brought elsewhere by that young man that had given Clark the direction   
to Perry White's office standing outside knocking on the window. Lois mumbled "Gotta go chief!"   
and practically ran out of the office without having even glanced in his direction once! Clark   
shook his head and sat down again. /So *that* was Lois Lane!/ he thought bewildered, now he knew   
who she was. Perry shook his head, rubbed the side of his head with his right hand and sat down in   
his chair again.   
"She is supposed to be working on a mood piece of a old theater about to be razed down at 42nd   
street but is she doing that? *Noooooo*, I tell you, if that woman wasn't the best got darn reporter   
I've ever seen I'd... Now pull out some of your work and do it quick before I send you packing!"   
Perry said irritably. Clark blinked and reached down into his portfolio for something to show   
Mr. White. He pulled out a random paper, there were no piece that he was especially proud over so   
any one of them would do just fine. "The *Borneo* Gazette? Mating rituals of the knob-tailed   
*Gecko*?! What in all of Graceland is this? You'd better have a real article somewhere in there or   
I'll put my Blue Suede Shoe so far up your..." he left the rest unsaid. Clark blushed, he had been   
sure that he had left that particular article at the hotel he was staying at. He pulled out a few   
random articles and checked them over so it was something that would be accepted as a real   
article. He handed over his work about the raid in Jamaica that had been published in several   
papers on Jamaica, front page material. He also handed over a piece he had written about the sloppy   
standards of a Russian nuclear powerplant that he had published in a Japanese magazine and along   
with that a English translation of that article. He also handed over a piece he had written about a   
huge fight at a football match in Florida, he had went by himself to see the game and had been just   
ten meters away from the fight when it broke out. He had written about it and it had been accepted   
in several large Florida newspapers. Perry White browsed through the Jamaican one and started to   
smile, he handed over the rest without even looking at them. "Clark Kent, welcome to the Daily   
Planet." he said simply and put his hand out for Clark who grabbed it thankfully and shook it. 

Lois slammed the phone down and looked over to Perry's office, he was still busy with someone in   
there. She had not really noticed who it was, she had been fully concentrating on this story. She   
could feel a tingle in the spine, she knew there was a story here and she intended to write it!   
She thought back and remembered that she had been assigned for another work, she was supposed to   
write some stupid mood piece on a old theater about to be razed. Since she wasn't in the mood for   
it, she sent a message to Perry about it and also announced that she was taking the rest of the   
day off to shop for her and her sister who temporarily lived at Lois apartment since her former   
boyfriend had kicked her out. She pulled her things together and stepped into the elevator just   
in time to see *that man* walk out of Perry's office. Had he been the one Perry had been talking   
to when she intruded? She truly hoped not, she had ignored whoever it was and that guy was   
*certainly* not someone to ignore. The elevator doors closed so she missed finding out what exactly   
he was doing in the newsroom and why he had been in a meeting with Perry. 

Clark bumped into the young man that had directed him to Perry in the lobby the day after, his   
first day at his new work as a reporter at the Daily Planet. The young man introduced himself as   
Jimmy Olsen, wannabe reporter and handyman. He offered to show Clark around the place and he   
accepted gladly, he was very good at judging people and he liked Jimmy at first sight. They   
stepped out into the newsroom and Jimmy walked him around, showing him all the stuff he needed to   
know and introduced him to a couple of people here and there.   
"Don't look now but you are being watched." said Jimmy mysteriously but with a smile. "Over there   
to your right by the coffee machines are Lois Lane and Cat Grant, Lois is probably the best reporter   
ever born and Cat is into gossip. They don't really like each other so if you ever bump into them   
I'll give you a little advice, don't mention either of them to the other unless you want to be way   
over your head. Lois is stricly work, she is stubborn like no one else and she has a very short   
temper. Cat now, she is one *major* babe. Rumor has it that she makes a notch in her garterbelt   
for every man she takes to bed and that she have had to replace it several times already." Jimmy   
said while walking away from them. Clark tried to sneak a look at them out of the corner of his   
eye but could not really see them without turning his head around. He saw what must have been Lois   
Lane standing next to a tall woman with red hair, both of them looking in his direction. He could   
try and tune them in with his excellent hearing but the noise all over would probably make it   
impossible to hear what they were saying. Jimmy showed Clark to his new desk, the once that had   
been vacated by the hospitalized reporter. He left his stuff there and decided to grab a cup of   
coffee. He turned around to walk in that direction and came face-to-face with a *gorgeous* woman   
with red hair, probably that Cat Grant Jimmy had been talking about.   
"Hi. New in town?" she asked sweetly. He looked her quickly up and down and decided to keep his   
eyes on her face instead of her more or less non-existent clothing. She shot her arm forward up   
against his face and he swiftly took hold of it to kiss her hand.   
"Yes. Clark Kent, newly hired reporter here at the Daily Planet." he answered and placed a swift   
kiss on her hand before dropping it.   
"Catherine Grant, ol' toothless employee here at the Daily Planet." she replied and moved closer.   
"If you want, I could give you a personal tour of this place and the rest of this grand city."   
"Miss Grant..." Clark tried but was interrupted.   
"*Cat*." she said firmly with a sensual tone to her voice.   
"I'll have to take a raincheck on that, I'd like to get settled in here first. Perhaps later...   
Cat." he said firmly and carefully removed his tie from her hands. He dodged her and moved along   
to the coffee machines were he poured himself a cup of hot coffee and dumped in four lumps of sugar.   
He tried some and was pleasantly suprised at the taste. / Not bad at all! / he thought and moved   
down to his new desk. He checked out the computer, the hospitalized reporter had a password   
protection but Clark pulled out a floppydisk from his portfolio with a very good codebreaker that   
he put to work. 

Lois pretended to read her article in todays paper, she had infiltrated the car-jackers and her   
story was front page news. Normally she *would* have read it but today she kept an eye on the new   
guy. *He* had been hired on the spot by Perry yesterday, she had not been able to get her hands on   
anything he had written yet but she had managed to hack into the Planets personnel database. Clark   
Kent from Smallville, Kansas. She had searched other databases for entries about him and come up   
with a suprising amount of stuff. At first she thought that Clark Kent from Kansas was some kind   
of phony identity but she had found articles about him. Apparently he had been a *very* promising   
football player back in Smallville, the sports section of the Planet had even mentioned him a   
couple of times back then. They all predicted that whatever team who managed to get Clark Kent   
would win the Superbowl, that was how good he had been. The guy had practically single-handedly   
put Smallville's football team on the top of the league. The last she had been able to find about   
him in the sports was a small notice that Clark Kent had stopped playing football to travel for a   
while and that was more then five years ago. So he had not started playing again for some reason.   
One longshot into the new joint police records to see if he had a criminal record spitted out some   
rather interesting information. As far as the police was concerned he had never committed a crime   
in his whole life but he turned up several times as a crime vitness and he was recorded several   
times as having stopped robberies, fights and even two rapes. A check of his passport after some   
more hacking turned up a horde of information, he had traveled across most of the known world and   
even been twice in some places. At first she thought that his parents must be rich as hell but a   
check on them showed that they were simple farmers back in Smallville. The new guy had gotten   
Richards desk and was trying out the computer, she was just about to get up and move over to help   
him out. She had hacked into Richards computer and she knew the password. She took several deep   
breaths and moved over towards his desk but stopped. He was running some sort of program from   
floppy and after about seven seconds he had broken the code and got access to the computer. He   
snickered and put the disk away, Lois saw him browsing through the computer checking things out.   
Apparently he knew his way around computers like a true pro, she shook her head and returned to   
her desk. She looked through his personnel file again and shook her head once again. According to   
this he spoke more then ten languages fluently! She looked and found the line "Knows his way around   
computers" in the middle of the comments Perry had written about him. She looked up and saw Cat   
Grant /The *slut*./ walking up behind him. She put her hands on his chair and leaned forward over   
his right shoulder. Lois strained to hear what they were saying but Perry suddenly appeared from   
out of nowhere. "I see here that you want a 'task force' for your story about the Messenger? Where   
do you think I can find someone available to act as your 'task force' Lois?" he asked curiously.   
"What about Peters?"   
"Working on the arms treaty."   
"Johnson?"   
"Police corruption."   
"Meyers?"   
"The majors faulty taxation. Sorry Lois, you are on your own on this story." he said simply and   
walked into his office. She growled and ran after him, she entered his office behind him and   
closed the door behind her.   
"Look chief, I need at least one *good* reporter." she said.   
"You can have Jimmy, he's the only one available!" he replied.   
"*Get* real, *Jimmy*?" she said and threw her hands in the air. Perry looked as if he was about to   
give her a piece of his mind when he suddenly turned his head to the computer when he heard the   
beep that announced that a new story had been sent for his approval.   
"That's strange, I wasn't expecting a new story for at least another couple of hours. There's no   
one in here writing anything I've assigned but..." he pushed a few buttons and suddenly smiled   
beamingly. "Kent! I told him about that story of the theater you were supposed to write about   
and he went on his own and wrote a article about it! I hadn't even planned on giving him one yet   
and here he has written a great one. I just found your 'task force' Lois. Take Kent!" he said   
with a pleased smile.   
"Kent? That... *hack from Microville*?" she asked faintly. Perry stared at her.   
"Lois, have you been hacking into personnel again? I told you to stop doing that!" he said and   
shook his head in frustration.   
"I need a *real* reporter, not a newbie I have to pottytrain and keep from doing a beginners   
mistakes!" she said in a strained tone of voice.   
"You can have Kent and Olsen or you can do it on your own, take it or leave it." Perry said and   
waved at her to get out of his office. Lois was steaming, she found Clark attractive, *very*   
attractive but the man made her lose track of what she was doing. Besides, Cat had probably   
already sunk her claws into him so deep that she'd have to pry them out with a crow-bar before she   
could manage to drag him out of the office. Jimmy was cute but what she might need later on was a   
*good* photographer, Jimmy had promise but he had a lot to learn. He showed some promise as a   
writer as well but not enough for her to consider using him as a temporary partner. That left Kent,   
a unknown equation that made her loose track of what she was doing. She took a deep breath and   
walked pass Kent's new desk, she could make a try but she would probably have to do it herself.   
"You are coming with me!" she said firmly and boxed his arm just to make sure he knew who she was   
talking to. She never expected him to even pay attention to her with Cat sitting on his desk   
leaning on his monitor but before she had walked more then eight steps he was beside her with his   
trenchcoat on. She almost missed a step in suprise.   
"Do you mind if I ask where we are going?" he asked politely.   
"We are going to talk to a man named Platt who says the Messenger have been sabotaged." she said   
quickly and tried to concentrate on not missing any more steps. She suddenly got angry and turned   
around to face him. "Let's get something straight here, I did not work my buns off to become an   
investigative reporter for the Daily Planet just to babysit some *hack* from noweresville. And   
one other thing, you are not working *with* me, you are working *for* me. You are lowman, I am top   
banana and that's the way I like it. Comprende?" she spluttered and pointed her finger at him while   
waving the other arm around like a helicopter.   
"You like to be on top, got it." he said simply. He looked a little hurt by her sudden storm of   
insults but seemed to be able to shrug it off more or less at once. She made a face and saw him   
smiling a bit at her.   
"*Don't* push me Kent, you are *way* out of your league." she said and almost ran into a elevator   
that just had stopped to drop of a reporter coming in to type down some story. She spun around   
and saw a reflection of Kent on the doors when they closed, he was *smiling* smugly and shaking   
his head slightly. She felt just about ready to spit venom, crossed her arms and stomped her foot   
all the way down. The other people in the elevator who had learned to recognize the signs of an   
*angry* Lois Lane pushed buttons and got off the elevator as soon as possible. People who waited   
to jump onboard on floors they stopped at took one look at her and backed away from the open doors.   
She knew that most of the building knew her by sight, she had been awarded reporter of the month   
at least twenty times and pictures of her along with a copy of some articles had been on billboards   
all over the building. She also knew that even those that did not know what she looked like had   
heard about her temper and heard enough to stay away when they saw someone with black hair   
stomping feet with arms crossed. She fumed, later today she would be able to hear whispers   
whereever she went. "Look out, Lois is *angry* today.", "Do whatever she wants and do it the way   
she wants." or as the braver ones would say while scrambling for cover, "Take cover! Incomming!". 

Clark followed the *mad* Lois out on the streets where she hailed a cab and scurried into it with   
the grace of someone who did that a lot. It reminded Clark of something and he looked more closely   
at her face. She suddenly turned her head around and stared at him.   
"*WHAT*?" she growled at him and he knew where he had seen her before.   
"It was you! You were dressed as a man with beard and everything, you stole a cab from me   
yesterday." he accused with a boyish smile.   
"I did not *steal* your cab, I simply borrowed it." she said smugly. Clark only shook his head and   
leaned back, this was one *strange* woman. The cabby said something in a heavily accented English   
that was almost impossible to understand, Clark recognized the accent though.   
~You're from Greece, am I right?~ Clark asked.   
~Ahhh, it is so *good* to hear a decent language again. I have not been able to speak anything but   
English with anyone except by telephone since leaving Athens two years ago.~ the cabby said.   
~What were you trying to say before?~ Clark asked.   
~I was wondering were you wanted to go, the lady only said *drive*. She is a feisty one ehhh?~ the   
cabby asked and winked. Clark smiled and winked back at him.   
"*What* am I missing here, could you speak a *real* language so I can understand it as well? What   
is he saying farmboy?" Lois asked.   
"He was only wondering were we would like to go, that's all." Clark said and smiled at her. She   
mumbled something that did not sound like something a lady would say and then gave the address to   
the cabby.   
~She *is* a feisty one, they make good wives once you tamed them you know.~ the cabby said in a   
neutral voice. Clark choked a bit on that and laughed out loud, he had to remove his glasses to   
wipe away a few tears.   
~I'm not sure I would like to be the one who tames *her*.~ he said when he was back in control of   
himself. The cabby laughed as well.   
~Me neither!~ he said and laughed again. Clark did not dare to look at Lois at the moment but   
instead concentrated on looking out of the window.   
"*What* are you guys talking about? Why are you *laughing* all the time?" Lois growled.   
"He told me a joke from Greece, as simple as that." Clark said neutrally and really tried to keep   
himself from smiling or laughing.   
"What was it?" she asked at once with a suspicious look in her face.   
"It doesn't translate." he lied simply and looked out of the window again. They continued in   
silence for the rest of the trip, both of them looking out of their respective windows and the   
cabby sneaking looks at them in the rear mirror smiling all the time. The man Platt turned out to   
live in what must have been one of the worst slums in Metropolis, it wasn't as bad as Bombay or   
some other places Clark had visited but it certainly was worse then anything he had expected to   
see in Metropolis. Lois jumped out of the car as soon as it pulled over and left Clark to pay the   
cabby.   
~She is a *very* beautiful woman young man, you are one lucky guy. Once you've tamed her that   
is..." the cabby said and winked. Clark smiled and handed over the money for the trip and a few   
bucks extra for tip. He got out and took a few quick steps to catch up with Lois who had already   
entered the building without waiting for him. Clark smiled, she was determined to put him in his   
"proper" place but he could feel her general mood. She was attracted to him but was angry for some   
reason, not really at him but herself, but she took it out on him. He could take a closer look at   
her mind and find out but he preferred to stay away from that. Looking at other peoples thoughts   
was a kind of rape in his opinion. He browsed through the building with his x-ray vision because   
it looked just about ready to fall apart. It seemed stable enough though. /No need to "suggest" to   
Lois that we leave just yet./ She found the door they were looking for and started knocking   
irritably until it opened a inch or two.   
"Yes?" they heard someone say from within.   
"Dr.Platt? It's Lois Lane, from the Daily Planet." she said in a neutral tone of voice, Clark   
could feel her calming down. Following a story seemed to make her forget to be angry at herself.   
A mans face appeared and his eyes looked them both over suspiciously before opening the door   
completely.   
"I thought you'd be alone miss Lane." he said suspiciously. "Who are you?" he asked Clark with a   
crowbar in his hands.   
"I'm Clark Kent, reporter at the Daily Planet." he said and held out his hand. Platt looked him   
over closely and finally let out a breath he was holding.   
"Yes... Yes, I can feel that you are telling the truth. Please sit down, both of you." he said and   
walked over to a table filled with papers, pencils, strange objects and a plate with a slice of   
old pizza lying on it. Clark looked around in the apartment, the few chairs that he saw had   
papers, books or something else on them. One of them featured a rat eating on a piece of bread.   
Lois did the same and shook her head.   
"I don't think so. Dr. Platt. Why do you believe that the Messenger have been sabotaged?" she asked   
and readied her notepad. Clark settled for looking at the apartment, there were books all over   
the place. Mostly about physics, electronics and a huge pile of various manuals from NASA. He only   
listened to what the two were saying with one ear while he *quickly* browsed through a couple of   
the books he picked up and every paper he could lay his eyes on.   
... installed cooling devices!" Platt said irritably. Clark rewinded the conversation he had just   
heard while he read.   
"To.. freeze the ion particles?" he blurted out and stared at Platt. Platt spun around to take a   
suprised look at him, Lois did the same but rolled her eyes in a shut-up-mr.hack-from-nowhere-you-   
dunno-what-you-are-talking-about manner.   
"Exactly Mr. Kent! The frozen ions would turn the Messenger from a able space craft into a pile of   
burning junk!" he said and Clark saw Lois jaw fall all the way to the floor in suprise. "It's   
all in my report, shortly after turning it in I was fired from my work. Before I even got home I   
was dragged into a moving car and shot full of drugs, I can't remember much of the following days   
but when I resurfaced from the influence of the drugs no one took me seriously anymore." Platt   
said sadly. Lois realized her mouth was open and closed it swiftly.   
"Do you have a copy of that report?" she asked.   
"Of course, what kind of scientist would I be if I did not keep my reports?" he said and started   
running around the place pulling out papers from the strangest places. When he pulled out several   
of them from a old shoe Lois got tired of the whole idea.   
"Why don't you put it together and then send a message to the Planet when you are ready hmm?" she   
asked sweetly and stalked out of the apartment. Clark rolled his eyes and gave Platt a card with   
the phone number to the Planet where he scribbled down the number to his own desk on the back.   
"Let us know as soon as you are finished, if I can't be reached, try for Lois or else Jimmy Olsen."   
he said and ran out after Lois who screamed into her cell phone at some operator at a cab company.   
"You'd *better* make sure to send a cab over *real* soon or I'm going to write a inside article   
about your lousy service and imply some things that will put the IRS and the police on your   
backs!" she finished and hung up. A visit to EPRAD, the manufacturers of the Messenger really   
didn't pay off. Dr. Baines, the woman in charge was a very attractive young lady but she did not   
grant them access to anything they wanted when Lois asked for it. Clark walked closer after   
studying just about everything in her office.   
"No exceptions?" he asked silently and smiled at Dr. Baines. She swallowed and put her hands behind   
her back, fiddling all the way.   
"I'll see what I can do." she said breathlessly and stared at Clark with her eyes wide open and a   
adoring look on her face. He saw Lois rolling her eyes in the corner of his eye and tried very   
hard not to grin at the Daily Planets star reporter. After getting that promise from dr. Baines,   
they left her office and Lois mumbled to herself while walking out of the plant.   
"A very attractive woman, young for her position." he said pleasantly, perhaps if he got Lois to   
talk she would loosen up a bit.   
"A *typical* male reaction, as soon as a semi-attractive woman shows up your brain shuts down." she   
snapped sourly.   
"Trust me on this Lois, I'm *not* your typical male." he said and tried to keep the edge out of   
his voice, never before had he been so tempted to use his mind-reading powers on anyone. She was   
really *angry* at something and it had something to do with him. He could not figure out what   
it was he had done that could have made her so angry though.   
"No? Just because she's... okay looking..."   
"*Very* okay looking."   
"... you automatically assume she's telling the truth."   
"And you assume she's not? Does everyone have an angle? No honest people left in the whole world?   
That's pretty cynical Lois."   
"It's realistic Clark, at least I don't go through life disappointed." 

Back at the Planet their attention was caught by a sudden explosion down in the severs. A man came   
crawling out of a manhole all covered in dust.   
"John! John!" he screamed down the manhole and collapsed. Clark did not really hesitate, he ran   
forward to the manhole, smoke billowed out from it but he showed no hesitation at all. He jumped   
down into it before anyone close by could try and stop him from doing so. His inhuman vision soon   
got results, he found a man lying down there. He picked him up and in the cover of the smoke he   
floated up to the hole where he raised the man up to street level and then pretended to use the   
ladder to get himself up. He blinked several times in order to make his eyes water and he pretended   
to cough while staggering away from the crowd. A woman in the crowd shouted that she was a nurse   
and she took care of the two men lying on the street, Clark noticed that the crowd was mostly   
centered on the woman checking over the two men and so he managed to walk away without anyone   
really noticing him, except for Lois Lane.   
"Are you *crazy* Kent? What if there had been another explosion, what if the fumes had been toxic,   
what if the tunnel had collapsed?" she asked incredulously. He pretended to be out of breath and   
leaned against the wall breathing heavily.   
"Nobody else seemed about to do anything, that man down there was still breathing when I got him   
up. If he had been down there any longer I don't think he would have made it." he said and coughed   
again. He took a final deep breath and pretended to stagger towards the entrance with Lois forced   
to follow him. He spent a few minutes washing up before taking the elevator up to the office where   
he was greeted with cheers and claps of hands. He looked confused and then nodded. /Lois. She have   
told the others about my little "adventure"./ he thought and made a face. He kept pretending to   
stagger a bit and made his way over to his desk, he glanced at Lois's desk and saw that she had   
already begun writing on a story about the sever accident.   
"Hey, CK! Nice work, I heard you saved the day." said Jimmy while sneaking up on him.   
"It was nothing Jimmy, I just went with my instincts." he said and coughed again for effect.   
"Kent! Why did you pull a stunt like that?" asked Perry White who showed up from out of nowhere.   
"I... I just did sir, I can't explain it. I just did what felt right!" he said faintly.   
"Judas priest! Another Lois Lane, teaming you guys up perhaps wasn't one of my better ideas." he   
said while shaking his head on his way back to his office. Clark looked around and walked over to   
Lois's desk where he sat down on a available corner to look at what she was writing.   
"See anything you like handsome?" he heard a voice from behind. He rolled his eyes and made a   
face. /Cat!/ he thought sourly.   
"If you don't mind Cat, I'm trying to read here..." he said and tried to focus on the monitor. She   
crossed her arms and leaned on his shoulders, he could feel her breathing down his neck. Lois had   
smiled slightly when he had rolled his eyes and made that face but now she looked angry again. He   
made his right hand into a fist and raised it in level with Cat's head at his right shoulder.   
"*Cat*!" he said and clenched and unclenched his right hand, she backed off and he could hear her   
walking away in a state of chock. He shook his head and continued to read, he could see Lois   
staring suprised at him but with a hint of a smile on he lips. /She must *really* dislike Cat, I   
wonder why?/ he thought and stopped reading. "Very good Lane, very good indeed. But there's only   
one "i" in "Ions"." he said and borrowed her keyboard to make a few changes in her story. 

Lois pulled back in suprise and she could hear Jimmy behind them taking a deep breath before he   
made himself scarce. /*Nobody* besides Perry had ever even *dared* to suggest changes in one of   
my stories!/ she thought with her eyes wide open. /*No* man had *ever* refused Cat Grant anything!/   
she thought with a inner giggle. She looked at the changes he made and nodded inwards. He was   
*good*, he might even be better then she was but that was something she would never *ever* ever   
confess to *anyone*! She could see people looking wide-eyed at the two of them, she could see them   
anticipating an explosion from her. Perry who heard the sudden silence from within his office walked   
to the door and saw Kent typing away at her keyboard. Her editor shivered suddenly and rolled his   
eyes.   
"There now, what do you think miss Lane?" Kent suddenly asked and Lois turned her attention to the   
monitor again. She browsed through the article and almost growled. He had changed a few words here   
and there, added a few sentences and now it was a masterpiece. It had been *good* before but now   
it was *great*! She let out a sigh, rose from the chair to a chorus of gasps in the office from   
people expecting a temper tantrum and offered Kent her hand.   
"Congratulations." she said silently and held out her hand . His eyes opened wide and he gingerly   
took her hand. Probably expecting some sort of trick she thought. "Your changes turned my article   
from good to great, I can't argue with that. But learn this Kent, if you *ever* do something like   
this without my permission again, I *will* skin you alive!" she finished with a half-growl. She   
retrieved her hand from a suprised Clark Kent and sat down again to more gasps from the spectators.   
She stared at the shocked faces and scared them into action again, she saw Perry in the corner of   
her eye. He was holding on to his doorpost and shook his head in silence for a while before he   
recovered.   
"Kent! Get *in* here!" he said and staggered to his desk in order to sit down. Kent obediently   
walked into his office but did not close the door as he should have done. She could hear everything   
they said since the rest of the office was still in a silent shock. "*How* did you do *that Kent?   
If it had been anyone else she would have had his or her hide in her collection right about now!   
Even *I* don't try to change her work before thinking *at least* twice about it!" he said with a   
note of respect in his voice.   
"Well, I just reacted again. I did not even think about it until I heard the gasps and saw   
everybody staring at me. By then it was to late so I continued doing some changes. She must have   
*really* liked what I did. I don't have any other explanation sir." Kent said with a note of wonder   
in his voice.   
"Kent, you have got a *serious* impulse control problem." said Perry, still a little stunned from   
the previous events. She shook her head and picked up the telephone when it started to ring. It was   
Mitchell, her date for tonight's event, Lex Luthors party. She knew what was up as soon as she heard   
Mitchell sneeze. She sighed. Mitchell was rather cute but he was also a hypochondriac, if he even   
suspected that there was the slightest chance of him getting sick he stayed at home. If he had   
started to sneeze he'd probably not eat anything but various pills and natural remedies for a week   
and not leave his apartment in two! She pretended to be understanding but could not resist to add   
"Don't call me, I'll call you." in the end of their conversation. She rubbed her forehead, Lex   
Luthor was *big* news. She had tried to get him to agree to a interview for the longest time now   
but the only result was refusals from one of his secretaries that she felt so close to by now that   
she wondered if she ought to send her a gift for Christmas this year. Tonight was her *big* chance   
to meet Lex Luthor in person, he would have a harder time refusing her then! /But I *will* not go   
alone, that slut Cat will tease me forever if I come alone!/ she thought and shook her head in   
defeat. She would have asked Jimmy, she was desperate but she knew that he already had a date for   
tonight. She saw Kent returning to his desk and saw him typing away on his computer. /Kent.../ she   
thought and walked over to him.   
"I don't suppose you have a tuxedo?"   
"I could get one... Why?"   
"Do you have any plans for tonight Kent?" she asked and saw his eyes open wide.   
"What?" he asked suspiciously.   
"Well, my date for tonight's party at Luthor's got sick so I..." she left the rest unsaid and   
waited for his response.   
"Yes?" he asked innocently. /Incredible! Is he really so dense or is it just an act?/   
"Well... Do you want to take his place or *not*?" she growled at him.   
"So... This is a date?" he asked sweetly.   
"Date?" she tasted the word. "Oh, *oh* you mean like in *Kansas* where you meet my parents and then   
try to give me a hickey in the vacant lot behind the dairy freeze? No, this is not a *date*, this   
is business!" she said, her voice dripping with contempt. *God* but he was gorgeous, she could   
smell him even from this distance.   
"Oh, I don't know. I thought I might turn in early tonight." he said with a smile. /This... This   
*man* drives me crazy!/ she mentally screamed in her mind.   
"Turn in early? Instead of going to a party hosted by *Lex* Luthor!?" she asked him with her voice   
under tight control. He smiled at her.   
"Well, since you ask so nicely I suppose I will accept your... 'Suggestion' to accompany you to   
this *grand* event." he said cheerfully with a smile that could melt ice. She was *not* about to   
melt though!   
"Good, meet me there!" she said and stormed out of the newsroom. Since he was such a good reporter   
she'd leave it up to him to decide *when* to meet her there. If he had to wait? *So what*? He   
deserved it for treating her like this! 

Clark soared high over the city, he floated "on" his stomach and was keeping an eye out for Lois   
Lane down in front of "Luthors Tower". Clark had spent 30 minutes in the library reading everything   
there was to know about Lex Luthor, a fascinating man indeed. Clark had his doubts about how he   
could have gotten so much power when he literally started from scratch as a kid. He *could* have   
gotten where he was today by following the law but Clark doubted that *very* much. But it appeared   
that Luthor tried to pay for any crimes in his past, he spent *huge* amounts of money doing good   
deeds. He never gave any personal interviews, according to the gossip at the office he had turned   
Lois down at least fifty times this year alone! Clark had then flied home to Smallville for a talk   
with his parents before returning here to wait for Lois Lane to show up for the event. Suddenly he   
spotted her jumping out of a cab and he quickly swooped down to the corner of the building and   
walked quickly up the stairs. Lois stood stomping her left foot impatiently looking over the street   
so she did not see him closing in on her from behind. He stopped a few paces away and looked her   
over, she wore a *stunning* blue gown and she must have spent a fortune on her hair.   
"Good evening Lois." he said and saw her spin around in suprise. He looked her down and up and   
nodded to himself. "Lois, you look *stunningly* beautiful. If Lex Luthor don't grant you that   
interview tonight he *must* be out of his mind!" Clark said truthfully. She blushed but regained   
control over her body after a second or two.   
"How did you know about that Kent?" she asked curiously. He smiled and offered his arm to her with   
a flourish.   
"After listening to some gossip at the office and then reading some about Lex Luthor I figured   
that your main reason for coming here was to get a chance of talking to him in person." he said   
as they were walking into the building.   
"Well... I guess you are right, I'm not really that fond of big fancy parties like this. If anyone   
else then Lex Luthor had hosted this party I'd most likely never have went through all the trouble   
of going here." she said truthfully.   
"Oh 'aint I the lucky bastard." Clark said with a smile.   
"What was that?" she asked, a snappish tone creeping into her voice.   
"If someone else had hosted this even I'd never seen you like this, you look breathtaking miss   
Lane." he said and tried not to drool at the sight of Lois Lane in that beautiful outfit.   
"You don't look so bad yourself farmboy, you might get a shot at that hickey after all if you play   
your cards right." she said teasingly.   
"Take care miss Lane, we uneducated farmboys can be suprisingly direct sometimes. If you talk like   
that I think a hickey or two will be unavoidable." he said and entered the elevator together with   
about fifteen other people.   
"Clarkie!" he heard a voice behind him exclaim, he turned around and came eye to eye with Tanya.   
"Hi." he said weakly, he could feel Lois's good mood evaporating for every second that passed.   
"How nice to see you again. Oh were are my manners? Clarkie this is Darryl Walsh, Darryl, this is   
Clark Kent." Tanya and introduced the man she was with. Clark politely shook hands with the young   
man standing next to Tanya. He was slightly familiar but Clark could not quite recall where he had   
seen that face before. He had bright red hair and he supposed that women thought he was beautiful.   
What really caught Clarks eyes though were Darryls eyes. Clark had seen that same look only once   
before, he had been interviewing a old Russian in a prison cell. The man had committed more then   
fifty murders that could be proved and confessed committing at least twohundred more! He had spent   
more then thirty years killing people for fun, twenty in prison and when Clark had met him he was   
scheduled for execution. He had accepted what fate had in store for him, he had abandoned all hope   
and his deeds were clearly written all over him. Darryl Walsh had that same look in his eyes, eyes   
that had seen too much, knew too much. "Well Clark, aren't you going to introduce me to the lovely   
lady you are with?" Tanya asked and Clark pulled his eyes away from Darryl.   
"Sure." he replied and tried to keep his eyes away from Darryls. "Tanya, this is Lois Lane, Lois   
this is Tanya. We bumped into each other on the bus to Metropolis." he explained quickly and felt   
Lois mood improve a little bit. The ladies shook hands and exchanged polite words about each others   
clothes and hair. Lois turned to Darryl and Clark could feel her suprise.   
"Darryl Walsh, 'the hermite'! You don't need any introduction, I've read about you and your   
family." she said breathlessly. Clark suddenly remembered everything he had read about the strange   
family. They lived in a huge mansion outside Metropolis, Darryls ancestor had fought bravely in   
the war of Independence. Ever since the mansion was built shortly after the war it had been very   
closed, nothing much reached the outside world about the strange Walsh family. Every male member   
of the family got named Darryl Walsh, Clark had never read anything about the rest of the family.   
In the Civil War a Darryl Walsh had fought for the North and gotten much praise for his successes.   
Walshes had fought in both World wars and the Vietnam war as well, always with great success.   
"Mostly lies and gossip miss Lane." he said neutrally. "One should not believe everything there is   
to read in the papers." he said with a slight smile. He turned away from Lois and took a good look   
at Clark who felt himself shiver when the mans eyes measured him.   
"I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again mister Kent, have a pleasant evening with the lovely   
lady at your side." he said and offered his arm to Tanya who turned to Lois.   
"I'm sure you'll have a nice time. He's a *great* kisser!" she finished with a whisper, Clark   
winced. Lois mood went from average to lousy in a split second and then before he could groan it   
went to above average for some strange reason.   
"*Is* he now?" he heard her mumble to herself. "Do you always kiss girls you bump into when   
traveling?" she asked him with a smirk.   
"Why don't you follow me on a vacation and find out?" he asked with a slight smile and a twinkle   
in his eyes. She boxed his ribs and he pretended to be in pain. He saw her rub her knuckles though.   
"Aouch, are you wearing a bullet-prof west or anything Kent?" she asked and tried to clench her   
fist unsuccessfully. "That really hurt!" she said and frowned. He took her injured left hand and   
put his fingers on a couple of pressurepoints.   
"Brace yourself." he said and pushed. She gasped and her eyes went wide open in shock. She ripped   
away her hand from him and cradled it in her right hand.   
"Is that better?" he asked anxiously.   
"Of course it's not..." she fell silent in the middle of the sentence and raised her left hand   
again, she clenched it without any problems and her eyes went even bigger then before. "How did   
you do *that*?" she asked incredulously.   
"I spent a lot of time in Asia learning various acient ways to make life better." he said simply   
and offered her his arm again.   
"Forget it Kent! I'm going to find Lex Luthor and get that one-on-one within an hour. If I fail,   
you have my full permission to get me drunk and give me as many hickeys as you want!" she said and   
stalked off to find her prey. Clark smiled and walked around in search for something to drink, if   
she was going to continue teasing him like this he would probably need something to cool him off.   
Perhaps a glass or two of chilled champagne down the front of his pants would help. 

Lois searched the room from one end to the other and back again without finding Lex Luthor. He had   
not made his entrance yet according to the people she met. She saw Clark all over the place, he   
danced with pretty ladies, talked with Jimmy whenever his date was out dancing with somebody else   
since Jimmy wasn't much of a dancer and she saw him talk with that strange man Darryl Walsh once.   
Darryl was a strange one, his eyes was a weird sight. She had seen eyes like that before, the eyes   
of someone who had seen horrible things often. The eyes of a cold-blooded murderer was the closest   
thing that popped into her head but Darryls was different, she could not explain exactly how they   
were different though. After Luthor she'd definitively try and get a interview with this Darryl   
Walsh. The room was filled with important men and women, she saw John Miller standing in a corner   
of the room chatting with Niklas Jonsson. John was the founder and sole owner of HawkTech, an up   
and coming company in the computer industry, he had recently acquired more then half of the stocks   
in Microsoft after Bill Gates mysteriously decided to retire. There were rumors that the feared   
assassin Le Mat had broken into his home and threatened Bill Gates to sell his shares, but Bill   
hadn't bothered to tell anyone his reasons for selling. Niklas Jonsson owned HawkSoft Europe, a   
company that was an independent part of HawkTech. She absently looked between the two of them and   
noticed the many similarities between John Miller and Niklas Jonsson. Their faces resembled each   
other, they had exactly the same nuance of blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and their noses were a   
dead match for each other. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought that they were twins.   
There were some things that set them apart though, John was almost a decimeter taller then Niklas,   
not because he actually was, but because Niklas wasn't standing straight, his knees were bent and   
his back was slouched. John had the build of an professional athlete while Niklas personified the   
nickname "Nerd". Two stunning women were chatting pleasantly and moved to block the route to the   
two famous persons whenever someone tried to get into the corner to talk with them. John and Niklas   
finished their conversation and smiled at each other before they joined the two women and walked off   
into separate parts of the room with the ladies. She saw Clark again as well, he was chatting   
pleasantly with a Japanese couple in their own language! He was just plain *incredible*, too strange   
to be considered normal. An interview with him might turn out to be just as interesting as one with   
Lex Luthor, John Miller or Darryl Walsh. She paced the room once again while waiting for Luthor to   
make his appearance, this time when she saw Clark he was dancing with Cat Grant! She almost growled   
out loud, before seeing this she had been determined to ignore Kent for the evening and concentrate   
on Lex Luthor. That was no longer possible, not with Cat around him.   
"Mind if I cut in?" she asked sweetly and when Cat turned around to see who it was Lois ducked   
under her arms and grabbed hold of Clark. He looked a bit suprised but not at all disappointed, he   
had *that* smile again. The one she had learned meant that he had said, was about to say something   
funny or had seen something amusing. She danced along and tried to keep track of her feet, he did   
not seem to have any problems with that. "You are *very* good at this, where did you learn how to   
dance?" she asked curiously.   
"A Nigerian princess who studied ballroom dancing taught me a long time ago, I'm just glad I can   
remember some of it at least!" he said with a smile. He pulled her closer and she was about to   
protest when she saw Cat dancing with Jimmy close by. Instead of putting Kent in his proper place   
she drew him closer and put her arms around his neck. He seemed even more suprised and the smile   
wavered for a moment until she saw him notice Cat dancing near them. His smile then got even   
bigger and he whispered in her ear. "Someday you just *have* to tell me what you've got against   
Catherine Grant. I'll play along though, no worries." he said kindly and started taking fancier   
steps that she had a hard time keeping track of. He mumbled instructions to her that she had to   
strain to hear, his helpful advises made the whole thing easier and she even managed to make some   
fancy steps of her own with his help. Cat looked furious when people started giving her and Clark   
space to dance on and cheering them along. She started to get nervous, if everybody were watching   
then someone was bound to notice him whispering instructions. She looked up with the intention of   
asking him to stop but noticed that he did not move his lips! He was a Ventriloquist as well. He   
was smiling pleasantly but his instructions kept on coming without even a twitch of his lips.   
Clark finished with a final instruction and made a couple of last fancy moves and then stopped   
just as the music did. The whole crowd around them was cheering silently and politely clapping   
hands when they stopped dancing and Lois blushed furiously for a moment before she was back in   
control of herself again. She was about to give up on Lex Luthor and instead offer Clark Kent her   
heartfelt thanks when he suddenly bent downwards and whispered in her ear. "There he is, Lex Luthor   
himself." he said and glanced in the direction of the stairs. Lex was stopping every now and then   
and said a few words to various people, some of them he talked to in foreign languages. She took   
a step away and looked down to check out if everything still was in proper order.   
"I will get this interview if it's the last thing I ever do!" she said determined and stalked away.   
She glanced Clark out of the corner of her eye becoming surrounded by gorgeous women who wanted   
to dance with him. He smiled and winked at her before he took the hand of one of the women and   
swirled out on the dancefloor. 

Clark spotted Lois approaching Lex and saw them dancing, his little pointers came in handy because   
Luthor turned out to be just as good a dancer as he was, perhaps better. He overheard them talking   
and Luthor even agreed to an interview. Clark smiled, when Lois Lane wanted something she   
certainly got it as well. He danced a couple of dances and then excused himself, he found Jimmy   
and made certain to stay around him over at the food. Clark filled a plate and wandered around   
talking to Jimmy about various things, after a while something got his attention. Lex Luthor was   
walking around alone, without Lois Lane. He checked the room and soon spotted her, she was walking   
up the stairs to the door Lex had entered through. He shook his head in bewilderment and followed   
her, he reached her just as she was trying to pick the lock of the door.   
"And what are you doing then miss Lane?" he asked Lois who jumped at his suprising appearance.   
"I'm picking the lock to this door, stand there and look big so no one can see me working." she   
said testily and fiddled with the door.   
"Working?" he said with a smile. "I didn't know you did breaking-and-entering for a living." he   
said pleasantly while covering her from the rest of the room.   
"I'm being a reporter, you should try it sometime." she said and gave a sigh of satisfaction when   
the lock gave in and snapped open. She slipped inside and Clark followed.   
"I think Luthor might consider withdrawing his interview when he finds out that you are snooping   
in his office!" he whispered to Lois who looked at everything with a piercing gaze.   
"Shut up farmboy! Just look around, this is reporting at it's best!" she said and walked into   
another room. Clark shook his head in amusement and bewilderment. He looked at the wonderful   
things Luthor had on display, there were quite a lot of them. Ancient weapons, old sabers, daggers,   
muskets and a small cannon on a stand. A well preserved knights armor complete with shield and   
sword stood prominently displayed. Clark leaned closer to inspect a marvelous crossbow with the   
year of it's making ingrained in it, 1238. Clark shook his head and continued looking at the   
marvelous artifacts on display. He was so concentrated that he never even noticed that there was   
someone else in the room until suddenly he had the point of a sword against his throat. He looked   
down at the sword and identified it.   
"Macedonian." he said simply and looked to the man holding the sword, Lex Luthor.   
"It once belonged to Alexander the Great, he used it when he defeated king..." Luthor tried to   
explain when Clark interrupted him.   
"...Darius the third and was proclaimed king of Asia." he said simply.   
"You surpise me, I'm not often suprised." he said and turned the sword over to Clark who tested   
the edge and the feel of the weapon.   
"Alexander was a great tactician with a simple strategy, 'Always seize the high grounds'." Luthor   
continued.   
"Lex! I hope you didn't mind, you have a beautiful home." Lois said when she came into the room   
from the one she had explored. "This is Clark Kent, the newest reporter at the Daily Planet." she   
introduced Clark who shook hands with Lex Luthor politely.   
"Not at all, but you could have asked me and I'd been glad to show you my home. Have you seen the   
view?" he asked and opened a door out to a huge balcony with a press of a button on his desk. It   
was raining outside but there was a roof on the balcony protecting them from the weather. "The   
highest building in Metropolis! I must confess that I like the feeling that everybody in the city   
has to look up in order to see me." he said proudly. "But let's go down to the others, I have a   
little suprise for everybody that I think you will enjoy." he said with a greasy smile. Clark tried   
to shake off the feeling that Luthor was not to trust but it stayed, he could not make himself to   
fully trust the man for some strange reason. /I've been reading to much./ he tried to tell himself.   
/If he was still doing illegal things he would not be doing so many good deeds!/ he shouted   
inwards to himself. He followed Luthor and Lois down to the big ballroom deep in thoughts. Perhaps   
he ought to keep an eye on Luthor for a while, perhaps he really was a evil man? Clark shrugged it   
all of as the work of the "green-eyed-monster", he was probably only jealous at Luthor because   
Lois seemed so totally fascinated with the man. Luthor talked about the failed attempts to launch   
the Messenger and complete the space station Prometheus for a while and Clark was wondering what   
he might be getting at. Luthor then told everybody of his plans to build a space station of his   
own and a really impressive hologram of the planned station was shown. Clark stared at the text   
written on it. /Space station Luthor./ The man had a huge ego, no doubt about that but many people   
had that. This did not necessarily mean that he was a criminal. He saw the rich computer nerd,   
John Miller staring at the hologram as if it was a personal insult to him. He whispered something   
to himself and Clark absently tuned in to what he was saying.   
"Memo to self: Find out just how far along the 'Space Station Luthor' project is." he said and   
looked closely at the hologram. "Project blueprint appears to be identical to HawkTechs small   
space station project, check for leaks and spies." he finished and shook his head in frustration.   
Clark looked more closely at John, there was something about his face, especially the nose and   
mouth that reminded him of someone from his past. He desperately searched his memory for anything   
to give him a hint of where he had seen John Miller before. He somehow found himself looking back   
to a time a couple of years back when he had been in Japan, studying martial arts with some of the   
best in the world. He recalled having practise interupted when he was studying the Kage-Mori branch   
of Ninjutsu by a new arrival, someone who looked almost exactly like John Miller did. His name   
hadn't been John Miller though, at least it hadn't been the name he supplied. When he arrived,   
Sensei Hatsu Yakamoto had sent one of his students to give the new arrival a little scare and get   
a brief evaluation of how good he already was. The student, a young man named Tameaki Iwata had   
assaulted the newcommer with a knife. Tameaki had gotten a kick in the stomach for his careless   
attack and suddenly found himself facing a cautious opponent with two knifes in his hands. Temeaki   
had ended up in dire need of medical treatment with both his shoulders out of action and a broken   
nose. Hatsu had talked with the newcommer who he apparently knew from before, then given him the   
task of taking out Katherine Yakamoto, the old masters daughter. This time it had been the new   
guy who had been in need of medical treatment, Katherine by far surpassed everyone except Hatsu   
in skill, but he hadn't known that. He had been admitted as a student and introduced to the others   
as Erik Jonsson, when Clark left two weeks afterwards to continue with his travels, Erik still   
studied hard. They hadn't really talked, but they had sparred once. Clark had the edge since his   
powers rendered him invunerable and tireless in adition to his slightly superior training, but   
he had still been hard pressed to defeat Erik who fought with determination and a speed that Clark   
had been hard pressed to match without drawing too much upon his superhuman powers. Clark then   
remembered something and looked down at John Millers left hand and his eyes widened as he saw the   
faint outlines of a scar there. He knew that scar, he had vitnessed when Katherine Yakamoto had   
thrown a knife at Erik Jonsson in a dodgeing exercise. He had stepped out of the way, but hadn't   
managed to move his arm and hand fast enough. The knife had went straight through his left hand.   
Clark was now looking at a scar that perfectly matched that incident. He was now relatively sure   
that Erik Jonsson and John Miller was one and the same. John/Erik walked over to a girl standing   
on her own a few meters away and they both swept out on the dance floor after John/Erik had looked   
one final time at the hologram with a scowl on his face. The party continued after Luthors speech,   
but since Lois was apparently tired of the whole thing and wanted to leave, Clark gave in to her   
wishes and followed her home. She absently held on to his arm while walking, she claimed to need   
the fresh air to think. Clark laughed and tried to tell her about what fresh air really was like.   
She snapped at him and told him that she had indeed felt better air but this was all that was   
available. Clark shrugged and thought about flying off with her, that would definitively get her   
attention. He resisted that idea and kept her company in silence. She absently walked into the   
house and all the way to her apartment without even noticing him. She pulled out a set of keys   
and started unlocking several locks on the door, she pulled it open, walked into her apartment   
and had still not noticed him even though she still held on to his arm.   
"Why miss Lane, what are you doing?" he drawled with a smile and saw her suddenly jump. /She   
really had forgotten all about me!/ he thought.   
"Lois? Are you home already?" someone yelled from another part of the apartment. A young girl   
came running from within dressed in a bathrobe and with her hair still wet. She looked a lot like   
Lois although she had a more brownish hue to her hair. "Wow!" she said suprisedly when she saw the   
two of them, Lois still holding on to his arm. "Perhaps you want me to go out for a while so you   
can be alone?" she asked with a knowing smile.   
"*Lucy*!" Lois screamed and blushed. Clark smiled and winked at Lucy who looked him up and down.   
"You really picked a good one Lois. Hi, I'm Lucy Lane, Lois's sister." she said and stretched out   
her hand in greeting.   
"Nice to meet you Lucy, I'm Clark Kent, reporter at the Daily Planet." he said and kissed her   
hand. She looked a bit suprised at that, perhaps she had expected a simple handshake.   
"This is *not* what you think Lucy! It's simply business, just that!" Lois said with a note of   
panic in her voice.   
"Yeah right sis, I'll be ready to go in a minute or so." she said and tried to scurry away but   
Lois stopped her.   
"No need to Lucy, I was just about to go home. Nice to meet you." he said and turned to Lois. "I   
had a really great time Lois, perhaps we ought to do this again sometime, without you trying to   
get a fancy interview that is." he said with a smile. "Good night to both of you." he finished and   
walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind him. 

"Wow Lois, what a hunk!" Lucy said and winked at Lois. "Did you have a good time sis?"   
"I did actually, I *nailed* the interview with Lex Luthor!" she said with a huge smile on her lips   
and a sparkle in her eyes.   
"Not that sis, how was your date?" Lucy asked and rolled her eyes.   
"Oh, that." Lois said suprised. "Well it was... He was very understanding, I only went to get that   
interview but he was very nice. We even danced a bit and he was *so* nice to me. He whispered   
instructions to me all the time and when people started looking at us dancing I noticed that his   
lips were fixed into a friendly smile. He is one of those people that can talk without moving   
their lips, ventro-whatever it's called. He made one mistake though, I was just about to give up   
on Luthor and start having fun with him instead when he pointed him out to me. Had it not been for   
that I might had kicked you out of this apartment myself." she said with a embarrassed smile.   
"How do you manage to work at all with him nearby sis? He is *such* a great looking man!" Lucy   
said with a dreamy smile.   
"I don't have time for things like that sis and with a man at my work?" she finished incredulously.   
"You remember what happened last time..." she finished in a subdued tone of voice and a single   
tear appeared in her left eye. Lucy embraced her and tried to comfort her sister, Claude was one   
of the few things that could break Lois's well built defenses. 

Clark jumped out of the elevator and came face to face with Jimmy.   
"Good morning Jimmy, where are you going?" he asked cheerfully.   
"Hiya CK, Dr. Platt called, I'm on my way to pick up his report." he said and jumped into the   
elevator before the doors could close. Clark walked over to get a cup of coffee when someone   
tapped him on his shoulder. He turned around and suddenly found his hands intertwined with Cats.   
She spun around and forced him to follow so he would not break her fingers, they danced around for   
a few seconds before he could get away from her.   
"Miss G... Cat, not at work!" he said and rolled his eyes.   
"But Clarkie, we never finished that dance yesterday." she said clearly disappointed. "How about   
that tour now cutie" she asked.   
"Perhaps another time Cat, I'll have to take a raincheck. Some of us have to work you know?" he   
asked with a slight smile.   
"All work and no play ehhh? Don't wait to long Clarkie." she said and walked away with her hips   
swinging. Clark rolled his eyes at her and enjoyed the show. He had met some quite pushy and   
forward women before but Cat was worse then any of them. She was beautiful though, perhaps he   
should agree. But that would make Lois so mad that she would never ever consider him as something   
else then a complete jerk. He still hadn't managed to find out exactly what had made the two women   
see each other as enemies. He shook his head and filled a cup with coffee, he saw Lois sitting by   
her desk and so he filled a cup for her as well. He did not have to worry about getting fat, or   
bad teeth so he had real coffee with milk and several lumps of sugar while Lois drank that decaf   
that made Clark want to vomit on the spot. He sneaked up behind her and put the cup on her desk   
while reading what she wrote.   
"Thanks." she said absently and tapped along on the keyboard. She was writing a background on Lex   
Luthor, Clark frowned a bit. She was preparing for the interview with him, he did not like the   
thought of Lois and a ladiesman such as Lex Luthor alone but there was nothing he could do about   
it. He walked over to his desk and absently sipped on his coffee while reading some of the material   
from EPRAD about the Messenger. When Jimmy arrived later on with the report from Dr. Platt, Clark   
groaned. The report seemed to have been written on what was available with whatever was available.   
One page had been written on a old restaurant menu with a child's crayon! Clark could have used his   
powers to do this really fast but not with Lois sitting next to him talking by herself about men   
and their strange habits. She finally threw her hands in the air and growled.   
"Tired Lois?" he asked teasingly. She stared at him and let out a sigh.   
"I guess so, this does not make any sense at all! I wish I knew a place with good Chinese   
takeout." she wished out loud. He suddenly smiled and flashed her a huge grin.   
"I know of a place, I'll be right back." he said and put on his trenchcoat.   
"Don't you want to know what I want?" she asked.   
"Hmm, I'll bring an assortment." he said and walked into the elevator. He hoped that no one noticed   
that he went up to the roof instead of down to the lobby. 

Lois jumped when she eight minutes later noticed Clark setting down boxes of food on the desk.   
There were no visible logos on them and Clark did not carry them in a bag.   
"That was quick." she said and opened one of them. She picked up a little white ball with her   
hands and took a bite.   
"I took a shortcut." he said with a smile and opened another one of the boxes. She chewed the   
sample and was pleasantly suprised by the taste.   
"Mmmmm, this is out of this world!" she said and leaned back while putting the rest of the ball   
into her mouth. Clark shrugged and started eating from all the boxes. Lois stopped talking and ate   
everything in sight, she sunk back in her chair when finished and enjoyed the feeling. "You just   
*have* to tell me where you got this Clark, this was *the* best Chinese food I've ever had!" Lois   
said in a begging tone of voice.   
"I don't think so." he said simply. "If I keep this to myself you have to go through me when you   
want some and then we can eat together." he said with that strange smile of his all over his face.   
She shook her head at this strange man, but secretly thought that it was a good idea. Perhaps she   
should start eating Chinese more often? Lois hoped that she did not blush again, what would   
people think if they saw her blushing whenever this man said something like this? Clark reached   
over and offered her a fortune cookie, she cracked it open and looked at the piece of paper inside   
the delicious cookie.   
"It's in Chinese!" she said and rolled her eyes, why did the silly buggers write in Chinese   
instead of in English? She was about to lash out to the world in general when Clark reached over   
and grabbed the piece of paper from her hand. "Oh, don't tell me you read Chi..." she tried but   
was cut off.   
"'A good horse is like a member of the family'" he said and returned to note to her without   
cracking the smile she knew he had hidden somewhere within. Sometimes she thought of him as a   
walking smile.   
"I hate those, that is not a fortune!" she said and rolled her eyes again. Then that smile   
blossomed and he stared at her with a sparkle in his left eye. /He look *so* good when he does   
that./ she thought and swallowed a breath of air. He was distracting her from the story again, she   
never used to behave like this before he started at the planet. "You are a strange one Kent. But   
I've got you figured out now." she said with a smug smile she had to force along to achieve, she   
needed to put him at a disadvantage before he swept her off her feet.   
"Really? It did not take you very long." he said still smiling.   
"I *am* an investigative reporter, it's my work to figure things out in a hurry." she said and   
felt the smile becoming more natural. He just kept staring at her and smiled, he looked so much   
like a happy puppy when he did that. She had to grab on to her dress in order to keep her hands   
from touching him. /He was impossible! Is there nothing that will keep him off my back?/ she   
thought and rolled her eyes. "Don't fall for me farmboy, I don't have the time for it." she said   
and returned to the report from doctor Samuel Platt. /Geez, I sound like such a snob, he must   
think that I'm crazy./ she thought and tried to keep a blush off her face. "On your feet Kent,   
we'll go over to Platt again. Perhaps he can help us piece this mess together." she said and put   
all the papers in her bag. 

Clark felt that something was wrong as soon as they found the door open, Platt had almost as many   
locks and bolts on his door as Lois did.   
"Lois wait." he said and tried to come up with a reason for him to go in alone.   
"Cut it out Kent, I've seen it all. War, crime, famine..." she said and kicked a rat out of her   
way. He almost smiled but the creepy feeling kept him from it, there was definitively something   
very wrong here. It was then he saw the sparks coming from a chair turned away from the door. He   
looked down and saw feet in a bowl of water and heard a strange sizzle from the chair. He caught   
up with Lois just as she walked around the chair and saw Dr. Platt sitting in the chair with his   
feet in the water and electrical wires connected to him. Clark lowered his head, Platt was dead.   
He did not have a pulse anymore, he would have heard it even from where he stood. Lois gasped and   
turned to Clark for comfort, he put his arms around her but she recovered within two seconds. She   
calmly looked the corpse over and studied everything in sight before she retrieved her phone from   
a pocket. The police arrived later and after looking everything over gave the simple conclusion   
suicide. Clark groaned inwards and Lois did more then that, Clark had to drag her away from the   
shocked police officers before any of them recovered enough to take her into custody. Some of the   
things she said shocked even Clark and he had heard a *lot* of filth during his travels. "All right   
Kent, you can let go now. I'm calm now." she said when he had her out on the street. He looked her   
over carefully and stepped away from her to stand in front of the doorway into the building. She   
stared suspiciously at him and rolled her eyes at him. "Not much more we can do tonight Kent,   
let's go home and we can start early tomorrow. I'll pick you up." she offered and clearly expected   
no objections from him. Clark flashed a weak smile dispite the horrible murder of Dr. Platt. He   
believed that it had been suicide about as much as Lois did, that is, not at all. 

"There has to be some way I can use my gifts and still live a normal life mum. I don't think I can   
just step aside when people need my help, I just can't!" Clark said into the telephone.   
"If someone finds out about you they will drag you off to some laboratory and dissect you like a   
frog!" said Jonathon and Clark chourosed him. It was not the first time his dad had used that   
argument in order to make him not use his powers in public.   
"I know dad, but what else can I do? I *have* to help people who needs me but I don't want to give   
up my chances of a normal life either." he said and shook his head, he had said that a lot of   
times and he had then been unable to come up with a solution for it. Now he thought he might be   
onto something that could solve this.   
"But I have an idea, mum, do you still have that sewing machine?" he asked.   
"Yes Clark, why?" she asked curiously.   
"I think I need some kind of outfit." he said hesitantly but never got around to explain further   
because there was a knock on the door. "Mum, dad. It's Lois, I have to go." he said into the   
phone.   
"Is she there? Well, well now..." he heard his mum say in the voice she always used when he talked   
about his girlfriends.   
"Take care son and be careful!" Jonathon piped in.   
"Bye, I love you both." Clark said and hung up on them. He walked to the door and opened it, Lois   
was just about to knock a second time but she froze and stared at him in silence. "Hello Lois?"   
he said hesitantly. She shook herself.   
"I said nine, I thought you'd be naked... um, I mean ready." she said and whipped her eyes up to   
his face. Clark looked down and saw that he only wore a towel. His parents had called while he was   
still in the shower.   
"Oh, make yourself at home. This will only take a second." he said and walked into the bathroom.   
His state of (un)dress did not bother him at all, he had lived for a whole month with a tribe in   
Africa where he had been completely naked most of the time. 

Lois stared at Clark as he walked into the bathroom with only that towel covering his private   
parts. She gulped down air in a throat that felt completely dry. She looked into a shelve for a   
glass she could drink something from and was greeted by a incredible sight. Several sorts of   
cookies and candy of all sorts. She stared off towards the bathroom door in a state of shock. She   
found a glass standing on the bench that looked clean enough and opened the refrigerator looking   
for a soda. What she saw made her open her mouth in shock, candybars, chocolate, jam, biscuits and   
a few high-fat takeout leftovers. She closed the door and put down the glass, this guy was   
incredible. /How can he eat all this and still look like *that*?/ she asked herself. She turned to   
the bathroom door and it opened, revealing a dressed Clark Kent coming out looking as if he had   
had several hours to make himself ready. She stared at him so hard that he looked down to see if   
anything was wrong before she turned away from him, preparing to leave. She was overwhelmed with   
curiosity though so she spun around.   
"Explain something to me... You eat like an eight year old but you look like Mr. Hardbody. What's   
your secret and can I have it?" she asked and stared at him. /How did he dress so fast?/ she   
wondered.   
"I never gain any weight so I don't have to watch what I'm eating." he said with a nervous smile.   
It was so unfair, he could eat all that and look like he did while she had to work out once a day   
and still watch what she was eating in order to keep her weight. 

Clark sneaked up behind Lois, he had just talked to miss Platt and her daughter Amy and found out   
some suprising things. She was still doing a background on Lex Luthor, the talk of the newsroom   
was all about this interview, Lex Luthor had never given anyone a personal interview and he rarely   
answered questions about him as a person. Now Lois Lane of the Daily Planet had nailed a interview   
with him. She kept on writing without noticing that he was just behind her and he tried to keep   
his eyes on what she was writing instead of her but it was impossible.   
"Lois, what would you say if I asked you out tonight?" he whispered in her ear. She jumped and he   
could hear her pulse racing, she was probably just as suprised as he was. This was not something   
he had planned but he had blurted it out and now it was to late. She spun around in her chair and   
faced him with a stunned look on her face.   
"Clark... I would... I say... yes." she said and looked almost as suprised as he must have done.   
"Great! I'll pick you up at... eight?" he asked hesitantly.   
"Yes that will be... Oh no, what am I thinking? I can't go, I have something else to do tonight."   
she said and looked both disappointed and happy at the same time.   
"Luthor?" Clark asked, a little hurt by her rejection.   
"Yes, I just have to do this interview Clark." she said silently. Clark understood her, but it   
would take ages before he dared to ask her out again. He thought about Luthor and made a face   
without thinking. "Clark!" she said. "This is the most important interview of my life, I would   
have done anything to get it!" she said and looked a little hurt as well. He was just about to   
tell her that he understood but his feelings got the upper hand.   
"*Anything* Lois?" he asked with a sneer. She retorted and stared shocked at him, he was just   
about to ask forgiveness when she stood up.   
"I have three rules, I never get involved with my stories. I never let anyone else get there first   
and I *never* sleep with anyone I work with!" she said and stormed off in a rage. Clark closed his   
eyes and breathed long, deep breaths of air while leaning his head back for a couple of seconds   
before he felt ready to face the world again. He returned to his desk under the watchful eyes of   
the newsroom. No one could have heard what they were talking about except Lois's last screamed   
words about not sleeping with anyone she worked with. The gossipmill would have a lot to talk   
about today he thought absently.   
"Kent! Get down to the police headquarters and demand to speak with a guy named Henderson,   
according to my sources there's a guy here in Metropolis that has hired The Pro!" Perry came from   
out of nowhere and almost scared Clark out of his clothes.   
"'The Pro'?" Clark asked. "Who is 'The Pro'?" Perry stared at him and shook his head.   
"The Pro is an assassin, a highly skilled professional. Rumor has it that he's really hired by   
the government but that he takes jobs on the side from people willing to pay his price. If he   
really is here in town, we can expect some truly spectacular assassination really soon. See if the   
police knows anything, it's a longshot but get on it right now!" Perry said and waved him away. 

Clark spent the whole evening down at police headquarters without any result, Henderson was silent   
and no one else was willing to say anything about The Pro. Clark gave up and tried at the library,   
nothing about The Pro anywhere. At last he went up to the newsroom and used his skills as a hacker   
on the police network. Five minutes later he was able to pull out a file on The Pro, Clark stared   
shocked at the information. According to the police database, The Pro had committed more then a   
hundred assassinations that they knew of. No one knew who he really was and the descriptions of   
him varied from time to time. They had fifteen different drawings of him with different hair   
colors, beard in some pictures, cleanshaved in others and one with a huge wart on his nose. Clark   
looked closer at the assassinations, he did not seem to have any particular mode of operations.   
Some were shot with a sniper rifle from a very long distance, some were shot at close range, some   
had been strangled, some had been knifed, some had been beaten to death in close combat, some had   
been poisoned, some had been in the middle of explosions, some had been hit by cars and one had   
been struck dead by the landinggear of a airplane! The Pro apparently managed to bypass extremely   
advanced security measures like they weren't even there, do his stuff and then sneak away without   
anyone noticing him. No information about current whereabouts, aliases or anything that could help   
finding him. The man was a ghost, a deadly ghost. The final note on the document was a shock to   
Clark.   
"The Pro is not to be apprehended, keep under surveillance but do not interfere. Notify The Lark   
if spotted." Clark spent two more hours looking for information about The Lark without success, it   
was obviously a codename for something but for what? A quick check at Interpol increased the list   
of assassinations made by The Pro with about fifty more spectacular assassinations. Here the final   
note was a bit different. "The Pro is not to be apprehended, stay away from him at all costs!   
Notify The Golden Eagle if spotted." No information about either The Lark or The Golden Eagle   
anywhere at the Interpol database. Clark spent a few more hours putting together information about   
the various assassinations connected to The Pro without any real results. The victims were more   
often then not bigtime criminals, corrupt politicians, financial tycoons suspected of economical   
crimes and people like that. But then there were others, like a mother of four children that was   
clean according to the police, she had been beaten to death and her children strangled. A chief   
of police who had been pushed off a bridge, a stern judge who had been beaten to death with his   
own club, a reporter who had gotten his own articles stuffed down his throat until he choked to   
death and many more that apparently was in no way connected to any criminal activities. Clark   
leaned back and rubbed his eyes, he had stayed up all night browsing through all he could find on   
The Pro. He could have used his incredible speed to do it but he never even thought about doing it   
that way dispite being all alone in the newsroom. He put all his work in a pile and leaned forward   
on his crossed arms to rest a bit, he did not need to sleep but he needed some rest. 

Lois walked into a strangely silent newsroom and walked all the way to her desk before she saw why   
it was so silent, even Perry whispered his instructions. Clark had his head on his crossed arms   
and was snoring lightly, apparently no one had dared to wake him up yet. Perry noticed her and   
picked up a thick folder from Clarks desk before walking over.   
"The poor thing must have been working all night, I don't know where he got all the information   
and I'm sure that I don't want to know either because it looks as if he got some of it from some   
sort of police or intelligence agency. According to my sources The Pro is in town Lois, something   
is about to happened and we are the only paper in town with this knowledge!" he said excitedly and   
waved the folder in front of her. "When you've finished with this sabotage story I want you and   
Kent working full time on what The Pro is doing here!" he said in a more normal tone of voice.   
Lois heard a grunt and Kent apparently woke up. He stared around and smiled while blushing, he   
blinked a few times and then he looked as if he had slept a good nights sleep in a proper bed   
instead of a few hours in a uncomfortable chair. He got up and walked over.   
"Chief. Lois. I wonder if anyone of you know anything about something called 'The Lark' or 'The   
Golden Eagle'?" he asked hesitantly. Lois shrugged, she had never heard anything about it.   
"Where did you find out about that Kent?" Perry asked silently while glancing around the newsroom.   
"When I was looking at information about 'The Pro', if the police spot him they are not supposed   
to arrest him. They are to keep an eye at him and notify 'The Lark'. Interpol agents are told to   
stay away from him and notify 'The Golden Eagle' if they spot him." he said silently. Perry looked   
horrified and shocked.   
"Both 'The Lark' and 'The Golden Eagle' are nicknames for a unlisted telephone number in D.C., the   
only thing answering is a machine that don't give any information at all, its just the beep. The   
only one with access to that answering machine is the President of the United States! Any message   
left at that machine is sure to reach the President with a minimum of fuss!" he said in a strained   
tone of voice and Lois understood why. If the president of USA was in any way involved with "The   
Pro", it was knowledge that could be fatal.   
"But how can the president be so exposed? Any police with a tad of brains can puzzle out that 'The   
Pro' is involved with the president after reading the report on this assassin." Clark said   
doubtfully.   
"I doubt that anyone in the police knows anything about this number, ordinary policemen probably   
don't have access to any information about 'The Pro'. The chief of Police probably do and if they   
know anything about 'The Lark' or 'The Golden Eagle' it's probably only the number they are   
supposed to call. I know only because I once had to call it myself, a dying man revealed it to me   
and asked me to call it. He then said who had access to that number. You have not heard this from   
me and don't even dare to ask why I had to call that number!" he finished in a stern tone of   
voice. He looked around again and resumed his normal voice.   
"Now finish this story and start working on 'The Pro' later!" he commanded and stalked off to   
shout orders to other reporters. Clark sneaked a look at Lois but did not know how to ask for an   
apology after the things he had said to her yesterday so he just walked away. He sat down at his   
desk where he tried to access The White House private network, it was probably one of the largest,   
perhaps the largest central of information in the world. It was also supposed to be secret, Clark   
only knew about it because he had found a file about it when he hacked into the Pentagon a couple   
of years ago. He almost gave up at once upon seeing the first screen that greeted him, it was   
scrambled beyond belief. He clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times and then started   
working. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice Lois and Jimmy leaving the   
newsroom. 

Jimmy worked on the lock and after just a couple of seconds he managed to pick it open.   
"That's amazing Jimmy! Where did you learn how to do that?" Lois exclaimed wonderingly. She was not   
bad at picking locks herself but she was not even close to being this good.   
"Reform school." he said offhandedly. "It was a bum rap." he finished and held the door open for   
her to enter. 

Clark worked the keyboard like a madman, pages of code was flying by at superspeed but to no   
avail. Every time he unscrambled a screen and managed to crack the code he ended up with another   
scrambled screen and another code. He kept on working though, sooner or later he'd find a way   
through this mess. When he heard the door open he slowed down to normal speed again but kept his   
eyes on the screen and kept on tapping on his keyboard until he suddenly felt cold metal pressed   
against the back of his head.   
"One 'rong move'n ya'll be feedin' the fish t'night." said a heavily accented voice silently from   
behind him. A hand reached out for the keyboard and Clark blanched at the sight of the hand. It was   
a pattern of old scars and parts of the flesh had been exposed to enough heat to burn away some   
flesh. A few keys were tapped and the scrambled screen was replaced by a blank one as he was   
disconnected from a computer system he wasn't supposed to know that it existed. "Stop yar foolish   
attempts o' hackin' this system. If ya ever try somethin' like this again mister Kent, Ah'll make   
sure ya'll regret it for the rest o' yar life! Neither ya or yar parents will outlive yar next   
attempt by more then a day or two at the most. Ah also know o' yar intrusions into the police'n   
the Interpol. Don't try anythin' like that again either'n forget that this monologue ever took   
place." he whispered and then the cold metal was pressed even harder against his head. "Don't   
move, don't turn 'rond'n ya'll be all right. Try anythin'n ya'll die." said the man behind Clark   
and he could feel him moving away. When he was half-way to the elevators Clark threw himself to   
the floor and tried to catch a glimpse of the unknown man only to see him run towards the elevators   
completely dressed in black with a hood over his face. Clark ran to catch up with him but the unknown   
man somehow sensed that Clark was moving, spun around and started shooting. Clark threw himself to   
the floor and shuddered in shock as sudden fiery explosions tore the office to pieces. Each bullet   
from the gun exploded with the power of a handgrenade. The gunman moved into a waiting elevator and   
crossed his arms over his chest when the doors closed. Clark got up from the floor and reached for   
the fire extinguisher with a curse, he couldn't follow the perp because he now had company. Perry   
and the others who had been having a meeting in a conference room peeked out just in time to see the   
doors close on the gunman in the elevator.   
"Clark! Great shades, what happened?" screamed Perry and stared at the destruction in his newsroom.   
"Dunno chief, terrorist perhaps?" he said hesitantly and managed to extinguish the last flame.   
"He just walked out of the elevator and started shooting before he jumped back in." lied Clark   
smoothly.   
"Where's Lois and Jimmy?" asked Perry suddenly. "Do you know where they are?"   
"No..." replied Clark slowly. "I assumed they were in there with the rest of you." said Clark who   
had been exused from the staff meeting.   
"No." said Perry and frowned. "I'm not suprised about Lois, but Jimmy usually tells me when he's   
going somewhere." Clark looked over at Lois desk and sighed as he saw what she had pulled out before   
she left. /Information about Antoinette Baines, EPRAD and the Messenger./   
"I have a hunch chief, I'll go check it out." he said and shrugged into his trenchcoat when the   
last of the burning flames had been taken care off. 

"Well Lois, such a shame that you didn't bring along your hunk of a partner, he is a *very*   
attractive young man. If I stay in Metropolis after this, I might just ask him out. I can't wait   
to see what he's hiding underneath that trenchcoat of his." said Toni with a faraway look in her   
eyes. A small smile appeared on her lips as she scratched her chin with the pistol.   
"Stay away from him you certified *slut*." snapped Lois and stared darkly at doctor Baines.   
"Lois... Such bad language, I really expected more from a respected reporter like you."   
"When you are talking with trash, you have to talk in a language they can understand." snapped   
Lois and spared a glance at Jimmy who was still unconscious. "What did you do to him?"   
"Nothing compared to what I'm going to do with you..." whispered Toni and smirked at Lois.   
+crash+   
Both their heads wipped towards the sudden noise and saw a door coming flying through the room as   
a dark shape rushed into the room and rolled into cover. /Clark!/ thought Lois as she saw his face   
for a split second. Toni gestured for her handyman to take care of it and he moved over in the   
direction Clark had taken with his UZI prepared.   
"Clark! Watch out!" screamed Lois before she was silenced by the butt of Toni's pistol.   
"Silence." snapped Toni and aimed her gun in the direction Clark had taken. Lois heard a strange   
sizzling noise and look up, she frowned as she saw the chain of a large winch suddenly melt as if   
some sort of acid was eating through it. She opened her mouth to comment on it when it suddenly   
broke and came falling down right onto the head of Toni's henchman who dropped to the floor,   
unconscious.   
"Drop it." said Clark suddenly and Lois wipped her head around to see Clark standing behind Toni   
with a large pistol in his right hand directed at the back of her head.   
"I still have my gun directed at sweet little Lois Lane here." snapped Toni. "If I'm dying, I'm   
going to take her with me." she snarled and turned her head around to look at Clark. "Can you   
handle that Kent? Being responsible for the death of two women?" she asked with contempt. Clarks   
eyes were practically glowing as he stared at Toni, he spared a glance down at her and his eyes   
softened for a moment.   
"No." he replied after a few seconds. "Besides, this is only a lighter." he said and pulled the   
trigger. A small flame appeared out of the guns barrel and flickered out as Toni exhaled with   
obvious relief. He shrugged and put it back into one of his pockets.   
"Very droll mister Kent, I'm afraid that you will have to join your partner here. Sit down and   
don't move." she ordered. 

"Told Perry I needed a task force... *Task force*! What do I get? Amamatuers. I still can't believe   
you came barreling in here like a 500-pound gorilla. If you really thought we were in trouble,   
*why* didn't you call the police? *Don't* tell me, I already know! Because you're like every other   
man in Metropolis! You've got this testosterone surplus that says 'I can do it myself!'. Baines   
has to kill us now, I don't know why she hasn't done it already." snarled Lois behind his back.   
He sighed and tore the lock away from the chains he had been secured with.   
"Lois I've somehow managed to..." he started to say.   
"Mess everything up? No kidding!" she snapped at him.   
"Now hold on a second. I'm not the one who snuck in here..." he tried to interrupt.   
"What are you saying? Are you saying that this is *my* fault? At least I had the guts to come in   
here..." her tirade silenced for a second. "What am I saying? This probably is my fault..." she   
admitted silently. "Oh God..." she breathed. "I sometimes do things... You know, like jumping into   
the pool without checking the water level first. But... Clark, it's the only way I know how to do   
it. How to get the job done. How to get the respect that I want, the respect I deserve!" she   
admitted with an emotional voice. He thought about trying to tell her again that he had managed to   
liberate himself but stayed silent for some reason. "You remember when I told you about my three   
rules?" she asked "Well... I've broken every one of them." she admitted. "I somehow manage to   
*always* get involved with my stories."   
"You slept with someone at work?" he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.   
"Yeah..." she admitted.   
"It wasn't... Jimmy, was it?" he asked as the image of her and Jimmy being intimate invaded his   
mind. He looked over at Jimmy, the kid was still breathing at least even if he hadn't regained   
consciousness yet. He was more or less all right though, it wasn't anything serious.   
"Don't be ridiculous!" she snapped. "It was a long time ago when I first started at the Daily   
Planet..." she explained. "Claude. He was French. I must have been in love with him, or thought I   
was... anyway. One night, I told him about my story... And the next morning when I woke up, he   
was gone. So was my story. He won an *award* for that! He didn't even thank me for my input." she   
complained bitterly. He thought about what she had said for a moment or two.   
"I guess when you're in love with somebody, it doesn't matter how smart you are or how many rules   
you set for yourself. You're still vunerable." he said, trying to make her feel better.   
"We're only human... Oh what difference does it make now anyway, we're just gonna die!" she wailed.   
"Lois... You know what you said, about respect? I just want you to know that everyone on The   
Planet... *everyone*, thinks you're just about the *best reporter they ever met... Perry told me   
that at the day I was interviewed." he said, a smile coming to his lips as he recalled their   
first meetings. First the taxi incident, then in the elevator and when she barged into Perry's   
office. He had fallen in love with her on the spot, he already cared more about her then anyone   
else he knew with the sole exception of his parents.   
"He did?" she asked silently.   
"Yeah... Not that it really means anything coming from a *hack* from Nowheresville, but, I think   
you're pretty terrific too." he admitted.   
"Oh Clark... I'm sorry! About everything! I know it's too late for apologies, but I never meant..."   
she sobbed out but was interrupted as Toni walked into the room again.   
"Well, I hope you'll forgive the accommodations... Then again, I never was much of a hostess." she   
said and looked down at the three of them.   
"Answer one question... *Why*?" asked Lois, all traces of her sobbing a few moments ago had just   
vanished out of her voice. She was now cool and collected again, a reporter in every inch of her   
body. He knew without seeing her that dispite the fact that she was tied up like she was, she   
would look as regal as a queen in her own castle.   
"It's simple Lois... *Profit*. Outer space is no different then any other new frontier, it will   
belong to them who gets there first... and seize the high ground." explained the bad doctor.   
Something she said made Clark remember something though. /Seize the high grounds? Luthor! I knew   
there was something was wrong with that guy!/ he thought.   
"You're in league with Luthor!" he exclaimed. "It was his plan, wasn't it? He ordered you to   
sabotage the Messenger so the Prometheus project would fail. Then he would put his own station up   
there and earn billions from creating his own vaccines in a zero gravity laboratory!"   
"Clark! That's preposterous!" exclaimed Lois. "Are you really *that* jealous?!" asked Lois,   
disbelief plain in her voice.   
"Actually Lois, he's right... More or less." admitted the doctor. "*Very* good mister Kent. But   
you got a few facts wrong. He didn't order me to do anything. I came up with the idea, suggested it   
to him once I had him in my bed and he agreed. He loaned me a henchman..." she said and pointed at   
the still unconscious man lying partly buried underneath a pile of iron chains. "... and he helped   
me raise into a position of power here at EPRAD so I would be able to arrange everything we had   
planned together. Then you three came along, I'm afraid I'm going to have to do something about   
that." she said. "It's a lovely evening. Sorry you won't be around to enjoy the rest of the it...   
But accidents do happened." she said and smirked down at them.   
"Accidents?" asked Lois slowly, still somewhat shocked by the doctors revelations.   
"Yes... You see, while dismantling the orbital maneuvering system... DeMonoMethalHydrogen leaked...   
and mixed, with the NitrogenPetroOxide... Unfortunately, the blast killed three *nosy* reporters   
who didn't bother to read the signs..." she said and sighed theatrically. Clark just looked coldly   
at her as she slowly bent down and placed a single kiss on his lips. "See you later... not." she   
whispered and then scurried out of the room as the two liquids were slowly pouring out of two large   
barrels, slowly running down towards a drainage where they would mix. Clark tore the chains away   
from his hands, spun around and tore the chains away from Lois as well. He grabbed her arm and   
pulled her up into an upright position.   
"Clark! How did you?!" she asked but Clark cut her off.   
"Missing link... Come on!" he snapped and bent down to pick the unconscious Jimmy up from the floor   
as he pushed Lois along towards the exit.   
+fzzsst+   
/Oh hell.../ he thought as he heard the sizzle as the two fluids mixed behind them.   
+kaboooooooooooooooooooooooom+   
As he heard the blast, he took off into the air, keeping them a meter or so above the ground. One   
arm around Jimmy and the other one around Lois waist. He kept them ahead of the actual explosion   
and touched down into a large mud puddle when they were at a safe distance from the billowing   
flames from the EPRAD facility.   
"Ah! Oh! Aouh! What happened?" yelled Lois as she dried muddy water out of her face. The filthy   
liquid dripping from both her face, hair and clothes. He supposed that he himself looked about the   
same, he sure as hell felt drenched anyway. But he figured that the water would cool them down   
and give them some protection from the heat, so he had touched down there on purpose.   
"I don't know. I guess the force of the explosion must have carried us here." he said doubtfully,   
not really comfortable about lying to hide his mysterious powers.   
"Look!" she exclaimed and pointed towards a helicopter that had just taken off. He zoomed in and   
saw Toni at the controls. Before he was able to come up with some excuse to run away or at least   
destroy something on the chopper with his Heat vision, it exploded.   
+kabooooom+   
"Oh!" she exclaimed.   
"Ah!" he yelled and felt like screaming. /Luthor! I just know it!/   
"*Ouuuuuhhh*." groaned Jimmy who turned around and looked at them with glazed eyes. "I feel *bad*."   
he said and fixed his eyes on Lois. "The next time you want someone to come with you, call for the   
National guard or the army." he said and Clark chuckled dispite their situation. He helped Jimmy   
and Lois to get back onto their feet and hugged them both closer to himself, keeping his arms   
around their shoulders.   
"What a team we are!" he exclaimed and chuckled again.   
"No offence CK, but count me out okay? I want to live long enough to become a reporter. Doing those   
Obituaries the chief wanted seems pretty appealing to me at the moment."   
"All right, Kent and Lane. Sounds pretty good doesn't it?" he asked and looked down at Lois.   
"*Lane* and Kent farmboy." she told him firmly but with a smile on her lips. 

"What do you mean we can't write anything about Luthor?" asked Lois. "I heard what she said!"   
"Hard facts Lois! Hard facts is the name of this game. I am *not* going to have an article in my   
newspaper saying that the most powerful man in Metropolis is responsible for this mess. Until you   
two has some good, *solid* evidence against him, Luthor is not to be mentioned or implied in your   
article." said Perry firmly. "I might not like the man myself, but until there is proof to suggest   
otherwise, he is *not* going to be mentioned in your story. Am I making myself clear?" asked Perry   
and stared them both in the eyes.   
"Yeah." said Lois.   
"Yes sir." replied Clark after a moments hesitation.   
"Good. Now get out there and rewrite the article." ordered Perry and sat down at his desk. As Clark   
stood up, he noticed a small package on the desk.   
"'Pava leaves'." Clark read out loud as he examined the scribblings on the box. He smiled and left   
the room without saying anything else. Perry had arranged for a small celebration that was slowly   
starting to gain some momentum in the newsroom. Neither he or Lois would be able to join in it for   
a while longer though, they had to rewrite the story first so that Lex Luthor wasn't mentioned or   
implied in it. Clark felt like screaming, the man was a horrible monster who should be in jail!   
But nothing had been found that could be used against him, the man was nothing if not cautious. 

"Were you scared Jimmy?" asked Anette from sports.   
"Scared? No. No ladies, not at all. I was... I was more concerned with the larg-er issue."   
stuttered Jimmy, surrounded by gushing women as he told them his version of what happened.   
Clark smiled but kept his mouth shut, Jimmy deserved his five minutes of fame. "Unless we   
got out of there alive, the colonist launch could blow up as well." he said and managed to   
sneak his arms around Dana from research and Brenda from accounting.   
"I just spoke to ground control over at EPRAD, they went back over the colonist launch   
vehicle with a fine-tooth comb. Found the same coolant problem in the protective vense   
and fixed it. Launch is all set for tomorrow morning." reported Perry and his announcement   
was followed by wild cheers from everyone in the newsroom except Lois and Clark who were a   
little subdued due to the fact that Luthor seemingly had gotten away with what he had done.   
"It's a no-go for you Lois, no reporters allowed." said Perry silently when he had made his   
way over to the two of them.   
"But chief. Imagine the Daily planet getting an *exlusive* personal account on being *on*   
the colonist transport!" Lois said with a voice that was somewhere between whining and   
persuasive. Clark suppressed a grin and the urge to shake his head.   
"No can do Lois." said Perry and shrugged.   
"All right, another time. Maybe." she replied and Clark was instantly on the alert. She   
looked as if she agreed and had decided to stay out of it, but he felt her resolve and   
knew without even looking into her head that she somehow would be onboard the launch   
vehicle, no matter what.   
"Mhm. Now Clark, you'll be pleased to know that Platts widow and daughter are back onboard."   
said Perry and turned towards him instead. Clark blinked and rewinded what Perry had just said.   
"Thank you very much sir, I appreciate that." he said after a moments hesitation. He looked   
after Perry as he left without saying anything else. He was just about to follow him and tell   
him about his 'suspicions' when Lois stepped in front of him.   
"Anyway, Clark... I just... Well, I want to thank you for all your help getting us out   
of there." said Lois and he instantly forgot everything about telling Perry as she smiled   
shyly up at him. He stood straighter and smiled down at the lovely woman. /God, she's is   
gorgeous!/ he thought and decided that he should respond in some way to what she had just   
said. He felt tongue-tied around her, his mind worked slowly and thoughts of her invaded   
his mind every few seconds.   
"I'm glad it worked out." he said and was proud of the fact that he managed to say that   
without stuttering or hanging his tongue out to drool at the sight of her right next to him.   
"And..." she began and slowly moved closer to him. "One other thing..." she practically   
purred and he felt his mind slowly close down as she leaned slightly towards him. "If you   
*ever* breathe a word of anything I told you in there, I will *deny* it and I will..." she   
told him in a no-nonsense way. He relaxed as his mind shifted into proper gears once again   
and he interrupted her with a smile on his lips.   
"You can trust me Lois." he told her and looked into those deep eyes.   
"Right... I've heard that one before." she said, plopped a party-hat onto her head and   
joined the party. He chuckled and grabbed a glass of bubbly as he followed her example. 

"I don't know about this costume thing Clark." said his fathered doubtfully when he had   
told his parents about his idea. After finishing up the story and he got tired of the   
festivities, he had left for Smallville to discuss the idea he had.   
"It'll work! It has too. If I have an effective disguise, I won't have to worry about   
people finding out about me." he told him, trying to sound sure of himself even if he   
himself had started to get a little doubtful about the whole idea.   
"Come on, let's get started." said Martha and he relaxed, his mother fully supported   
him in this and she had bought a carload of cloth to make a costume out of. 

"Mom... Do I even *want* to know why you had the whip and *this*?" asked Clark and held   
up a black leather whip and a dark brown leather pouch for male genitals. That was when he   
saw something he never had seen before, not even when he had walked into his parents   
bedroom without knocking when he was seven. His mother blushed, turned red as a tomato   
and looked at the floor for a split second. "Mom?!" he exclaimed. He knew that his mother   
had been pretty wild in her youth, but the pouch couldn't have been more then two or   
three years old. He blushed himself as he tried to get the mental image of his father   
with the pouch and whip out of his head. He dropped both objects and absently wiped his   
hands off on a yellow cape they had discarded as a *bad* idea. 

"I look like a bandit out of the wild west in neon pink tights mom!" he complained and   
removed the cloth covering the lower part of his face. He even had a holster with two   
fake revolvers. 

"A trenchcoat? I look like the sort of man who might jump out of the bushes and display   
my... private parts!" he said and removed the black hood from his face. 

"What about that one?" asked Martha and closed her eyes for a few seconds.   
"I don't know." replied Clark through the door. "What do you think?" he asked as he   
came out and looked at himself in the mirror. Martha nodded approvingly, this was the   
best one yet, the cape especially looked great on him.   
"Well one thing is for sure, nobody is going to be looking at your face!" she exclaimed.   
"Mom!" he protested and blushed slightly.   
"Well, they don't call 'em tights for nuthin'!" she told him and giggled. She looked him   
over once again. "I don't know, there's something missing... Something..." she trailed off as   
she suddenly got a flash of inspiration. She pulled out the box of memorables and opened it.   
"What's that?" asked Clark curiously.   
"The baby blanket we found you in so long ago... And this." she said as she held up the   
strange insignia, the 'S' shield. A few minutes later, it was attached to the suit and   
she nodded firmly. It was perfect. "Your folks would be proud of you... We sure are."   
she told him and gave him a fierce hug. Ever since last year when they moved the shuttle he   
had arrived in and found the strange globe, she sometimes thought of his real parents. He   
never talked about it, but she knew that he often thought about them. He returned the hug   
and stroked her back, knowing somehow that she needed comfort right now.   
"Thanks mom. I'm not... so sure about the cape though..." he said slowly as they parted   
and he looked at the mirror again.   
"Oh really? I love it! It will be great when you're flying." she told him proudly.   
"Hey you two, come on in here! Launch vehicle is about ready to go up." yelled Jonathan   
and they walked into the living room where he was looking at the news. It was live from   
the launch. "Colonists are just about all onboard." he told them silently and looked at   
the screen as if he was mesmerized. He hadn't even noticed what Clark was wearing yet.   
"Historic occasion. Remember when you were a kid Clark? When we watched the first moon   
landing?" he asked and turned around. He blinked in suprise and fell silent as he saw   
Clark in his uniform.   
"What do you think?" asked Clark and smiled broadly.   
"That's my boy!" exclaimed Jonathan and practically beamed with pride.   
"Oh, that's right! What if somebody recognizes you?" asked Martha worriedly. She didn't   
want anyone to find out about her little boy.   
"I don't think they will mom. Because it won't. be. me." said Clark and removed his   
glasses. She and Jonathon shrugged and all three of them turned around to watch the   
launch her son and that woman reporter had saved from disaster. When the launch was   
halted, Jonathan turned around to say something to Clark, but both of them only   
found empty space and the door closing. They smiled at each other and turned around   
to watch the TV. 

Lois couldn't believe her eyes when the strange man suddenly appeared. /What. The. Hell.   
Is. This./ she wondered. /Candid camera?/ He grabbed the bomb and tore it apart with his   
bare hands.   
"Hey, get away from that! What kind of a lunatic are you? That's a bomb!" she exclaimed   
in suprise but fell silent as he suddenly put a part of the bomb into his mouth and   
swallowed. She thought her eyes were going to pop out of their sockets when he suddenly   
burped with a hand covering his mouth.   
"Excuse me." he said and smiled slightly. /Holy.../ her mind felt sluggish and she was   
unable to do anything except ask one question.   
"What the *hell* are you?!" He shrugged and walked out to meet the colonists who had   
walked out in force to find out what was going on. "There was a bomb... He... He...   
He... ate it!" she exclaimed and indicated the weird man with the tights and red cape.   
His eyes locked on Amy Platt and he crouched down in front of her.   
"Hi." he greeted her and Lois heart melted as she saw how the girl locked eyes with   
him and smiled slightly.   
"Hi. I like your costume." she told him. /Me too... Damn! What *a* butt!/ thought Lois   
as the cape flopped aside and revealed buns of steel to her hungry gaze.   
"Thank you. My mother made it for me. What's your name?"   
"Amy. Amy Platt. Who are you?" asked the little girl and looked him over.   
"I'm a friend..." he said hesitantly.   
"Can you teach me how to fly?" asked the girl. /Yesyesyes. Me too?/   
"Not fly. But once this lab is operational, walk. That's very possible." said the   
wondrous man calmly.   
+Attention colonists. The mission has been scrapped. Prepare to disembark.+ came   
the message from ground control through the loudspeakers followed by a chorus of   
protests and exclamations of disappointment from the colonists.   
"That's it then. It's all over." said one of the colonists.   
"Why?" exclaimed Lois.   
"Once the trusters has been fired, they have to be replaced." said Platts wife.   
"We loose our launch window." explained the first colonist.   
"Yes." agreed the Platt widow.   
"We just have to forget about Space Station Prometheus."   
"No. You don't. There's nothing wrong with this transport vehicle or the station.   
You only need to get there." said the caped crusader confidently.   
"How are they supposed to do that?" asked Lois.   
"Easy. I'll give them a boost." he said flippantly and walked outside, closing the   
door behind him. 

"I still don't believe it! A man who flies!" exclaimed Perry and looked at the pictures   
he was holding.   
"But chief, it's all over the TV." said Jimmy. Cat once again looked him over and   
thought about him. He was cute, but for some reason, she hadn't approached him just   
yet. She didn't know why and it annoyed her to no end.   
"Oh Jimmy, don't believe everything you see on TV! I'll tell you one thing though,   
whoever pulled off a hoax like this is... is a..." grumbled Perry but fell silent,   
staring in shock out through one of the windows. Cat followed the direction of his   
gaze and almost fainted as she saw the flying man approaching the window with Lois   
in his arms. "Great shades of Elvis!" exclaimed Perry and Jimmy started taking   
pictures with the camera he was holding.   
+click+ +click+ +click+ +click+   
"I see it, but I don't believe it." said Cat as the flying couple landed right in   
front of Lois desk. One eyebrow shot up and her mind raced. Cat wasn't a great believer   
in coincidence, it could have been pure chance, but she didn't think so. This guy   
knew where Lois worked...   
"What? A man who flies?" asked someone behind her.   
"No. Lois Lane. Finally, literally, swept off her feet. Too bad he's an alien." she   
said flippantly to cover the way her mind was working at the moment. Not many people   
knew it, but she had the highest IQ of anyone in the building. If it hadn't been for   
a little incident in the principals office during her studies, she would probably have   
been working at Star Labs as a scientist right now. She didn't really mind though, her   
current occupation was much more fun anyway. If she had continued with her studies,   
she probably would have ended up as a total geekette, buried in her research. Once   
she left school, she had turned from a closed-up shy ass-kisser into the woman she was   
today. After she colored her hair red, she hadn't regretted a single thing in her life   
except for the fact that it took her so long to realize what a waste her life had   
been until she was kicked out of school for seducing a teacher on the principals desk.   
"I-I think, considering that I saw you first, you owe me an exclusive." stuttered   
Lois and Cat emerged from out of her ponderings to concentrate on the flying man and   
Lois Lane. She smiled a little at the fact that the normally unshakable Lois Lane was   
reduced to stuttering in the presence of this guy.   
"Is that the rule?" he asked and something clicked in Cats mind, she *knew* that voice.   
"Well no. But I'd appreciate it very much." said Lois breathlessly. He only smiled and   
took off, slowly flying towards the window. "Wait a minute! How do I find you?" screamed   
Lois after him and ran towards the window.   
"I'll be around." he said and suddenly vanished with a 'woosh'.   
"Real smooth." exclaimed Jimmy as Cat made her way over to Lois Lane, hoping to get a   
clue to if Lois had realized what she just had, the identity of the flying man.   
"Did you find out what the 'S' stands for?" she asked and looked closely at Lois.   
"Super..." she breathed. "Superman! Oh. Oh." she exclaimed and stared at the window   
being closed with eyes large as teacups.   
"Heyheyhey, let's get back to work! We've got a newspaper to run!" yelled Perry and   
everyone started to walk back towards their desks except for Lois who was still   
staring at the window. Cat shook her head in disgust, Lois had no clue whatsoever.   
/What is she? Galactically stupid?/ Cat looked over at Clarks empty desk and smiled   
to herself. What would she do with what she knew? She looked over at Lois again and   
shook her head again. Lois reminded her too much of how she herself had been before   
she realized how wrong she had been. She had disliked Lois from the moment she saw   
her, buried in her work, no social life. Lois Lane was a constant reminder of how   
she herself had been, it brought up a lot of bad memories. Lois apparently sensed   
her dislike and they had developed a instant hate of each other on the day they met. 

+clap+ +clap+ +clap+   
Lex applauded mockingly as Clark walked into his office after Lex had opened the   
door for him.   
"Astonishing debut... Superman!" said Lex and Clark raised an eyebrow at him. "Haven't   
you heard? That's what they're calling you, it's international news." explained Luthor   
with a smile on his face. "So, to what do I owe this 'honor'?" he asked, trying hard   
but failing to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.   
"I came to tell you I know who you are... Who you. *really*. are. I suppose on it's   
face it was a good plan. Destroy Prometheus so that you could put your own space station   
in it's place. Then not only would you make billions from the patents of the vaccines   
developed, but you would also be the supposed 'savior' of the space program." said Clark   
firmly, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at Luthor.   
"Well, it's an interesting theory, 'Superman'. But, I'm afraid that's all it is."   
"You are also responsible for the death of at least three people. Commander Latterman...   
Samuel Platt... Doctor Baines... Those probably aren't the only skeletons in your closet."   
"So you've become both my judge and executioner?" asked Lex mockingly.   
"Like any other citizen on the planet, I must obey the law. I am not above it. You seem   
to believe that you are."   
"I hold... a certain position in this city." he replied with a pleased grin.   
"Yes... And there is *nothing* that would please me more then to see you dethroned and   
behind bars like any. common. criminal. That day will come."   
"I trust not. But... As they say... Let the games begin!"   
"Oh, one more thing... If you ever need to find me, all you have to do is look up."   
+woosh+ 

"Morning Lois." said Clark when he walked up to her the morning after.   
"Clark! Where've you been?" asked Lois cheerfully and grabbed his arm, pulling him with   
her over towards the elevators.   
"Around." he replied.   
"Well, not that it's anywhere near as exiting as the stories you covered on the Smallville   
Press, but, Superman was in the newsroom and I just about nailed down the exclusive." she   
told him with a pleased grin that went from ear to ear.   
"Well, congratulations."   
"Clark, you should have seen him! Up close, he is the most... magnificent figure of a man   
that I have ever..." she said dreamily and trailed off as her eyes glazed over.   
"Sounds like he made quite an impression on you?" Clark asked and tried to hide his pleased   
grin at her reaction.   
"He did... Mm. *Why*?! Are you jealous?" she asked suspiciously and looked at him.   
"Of Superman? Should I be?" he asked flippantly.   
"Puh-leaze!" she exclaimed.   
"Where are we going?" he asked as the elevator doors opened for them.   
"Terrorist shoot-out on sixth. ... And Kent, I'll ask the questions." she told him and   
sighed a happy little sigh as the doors closed on them. 

THE END! 


End file.
